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OBSERVATIONS, ire. 



OBSERVATIONS 



INTRODUCTORY TO A WORK 



ON 



ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY. 



BY JOHN THOMSON, M. A. S. 

AND LATE PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS, 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA. 



■jk 



SECOND EDITION. 



\ V: 




LONDON: 



JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. 

1819. 






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\+& 



NOTE. 

This second Edition of Etymological Observations is offered to the 
Public with some additional matter; and it would, no doubt, have 
been improved, if the former one had obtained the benefit of more 
Criticism. 

The opinions of intimate friends, however estimable, are usually 
too indulgent when an Author perhaps requires salutary correction or 
reproof. The subject, in the present instance, is, indeed, not calcu- 
lated, like works of taste, to afford general amusement: but, learned 
men may employ a portion of their time, not altogether unprofitably, 
in contemplating the elements of Speech. 



N. B. The Reader should understand that by Gothic, in these sheets, 
is meant Scythian or Scandian Gothic; Saxon, is the Anglo-Saxon ; 
and Teutonic the dialects of Upper Germany, particularly in the 
middle ages. 



London : Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. 
Cleveland-Row, St. James's. 



OBSERVATIONS, be. 



The English Language is derived from the Gothic and Celtic, chiefly through 
the Anglo-Saxon and French dialects. The object now in contemplation is to 
trace the probable origin of its words, to mark their adventitious changes, and 
indicate their principal analogies. 

The utility of etymological enquiries has been disputed on the ground, that, 
a precise meaning being once affixed to words, it avails little to know whence 
they originated. This, abstractedly, may be true ; but, linked so intimately 
as they are with the Arts and Sciences, their variations must correspond with 
the progressive improvement of the human mind, and therefore assume some 
considerable importance in the History of Man. Even the puerile attempts of this 
kind which have been admitted into our dictionaries, create a national concern that 
means should berried to avert the sneer of foreigners, and remove at least some er- 
roneous ideas, which are always pernicious. The difficulty of such correction is 
sufficiently evident. Few literary men would be disposed to tread in this humble 
path; and fewer still, if any, possess knowledge of the ancient and modern lan- 
guages of Europe adequate to the pursuit. Many years of labour, and no small 
portion of fortune must be devoted, in this way, without any certainty of success, 
amidst the numerous contingencies which exclude all rational calculation of pe- 
cuniary advantage. Fame, the aerial recompense of authors, cannot be expected. 
If the etymons be at all natural, the difficulties of selecting and compiling them 
will become less obvious. They offer, at the same time, so wide a scope to the 
shafts of criticism that, those who choose to exercise it candidly, will, at least, 
distinguish between the cursory and amusing analysis of particular words, and 
the toil of wading through a whole vocabulary with no choice of evasion. 

The task, here prescribed, extends much beyond the usual practice of referring, 
merely to some cognate term, in German or French, for an English etymon, 

B 



[2] 

without pointing further toward a common source ; which is little more satis- 
factory than adducing some difference of pronunciation at York and in London. 

It is impossible to conceive, without painful experience, what obstacles must 
be encountered during the investigation, not only of corrupt expressions, but 
numerous omissions, mutations, and transpositions of letters, by which nations, 
as they became more refined, endeavoured to please the ear by euphony. This 
confusion has been increased, in many cases, by the introduction of a foreign 
alphabet unadapted to the organic sounds of particular languages ; such as the 
Sclavonian and Irish, where several consonants are put together for what might 
be expressed by a single letter. And still more provoking, if possible, is the 
barbarous articulation of such conquerors as those who have changed Constanti- 
nople, Athens, and Nicasa, into Stambul, Settines, and Isnic. 

The Gallic Celts were more remarkable for their variable pronunciation and 
mutation of letters than even the Welsh and Irish. The Latin verbum, was with 
them berf, werv, which the Welsh converted into gwerv, geirb, and gair ; while 
barba, the beard, was barf, varef, barv, parw, warf; the Gascons were Vascons, 
Wassones, Bascons and Biscavans. In many instances, however, imperfections 
of this nature were productive of some advantage, in the same way that the 
Latin fl'avus, fulvus, helvus and gilvus, although originally perhaps the same 
word, served afterwards to describe different shades of colour. H, g, and c, 
when initial letters, were generally confounded among the Celts, by indistinct 
guttural sounds, to produce energy ; but k has frequently taken their place, in 
modern days, since they became objectionable for their harshness. 

The intermutations of p, q, c, h, and k, are very extraordinary. P, reversed, 
appears to have formed q, which probably was introduced into the alphabet at a 
later date. The, Osce or Oscans, whom we now call Toscans, used p where 
the Latins had q. The Welsh and Armoricans adhere to the mode of the Osce, 
while the Irish incline generally toward that of the Latins ; and, allowing for 
such singularities, the affinity of European language is observable in the qui, 
quae, quod of the Latin, which takes cui in the dative case; the Irish ci, ce, ciod ; 
the Greek two?, iron, iroTov ; the iEolic xo~os, how, xoTov ; the Armoric and Welsh, pi, 
pa, piad, or pibeth ; the Gothic huo, hua, huad ; Saxon hwa, hwe, hwat ; Danish 
hwo, hwilk, hwad ; Belgic wie, wilk, wat. And in our ancient quho, quhich, 
quilk, quhat, together with the modern who, which, what, seem to be included 
both the Celtic and Gothic pronunciations. The Gothic huilk, converted by us 



[3] 

into which, is contracted from who like, forming the feminine gender ; but used 
occasionally for both the masculine and neuter. In the same way e like became 
our each, and so like, such. That the Greeks, as well as the Armorican, British 
and Irish Celts, had p in one dialect for q and k in another, may be further in- 
stanced oVoj and cxxoj ; while the Latins have converted *«V« into linquo liqui, 
Hwaw or iteVtco into coquo, Aujco? into lupus ; and their columbus and palumbus had 
no original difference, Similar mutations have crept into French, as escume for 
spuma ; echine for spina ; while English cod, a husk, is pod ; and our term peep 
in all the northern dialects is keek, from the Gothic ge auga, Islandic eiga, to eye. 
The Gothic or Saxon name for a grasshopper is lopust, the leaper, from which 
the Latins seem to have formed locusta ; and our lobster is their sea-locust. 
This perversion extended to other remote nations ; for the Christians of Abyssinia, 
or more properly Habish, say Ketros for St. Peter. 

Among many peculiarities, the Irish having no H in their alphabet, frequently 
substitute the letter T ; as the Russians do Th, at the beginning of words ; by 
which it becomes difficult to detect their source. Thus tulla or tulloch, which is 
of the most common use throughout Scotland and Ireland in forming the names 
of places, could not readily be recognised as the Gothic hola and Saxon hyla, our 
hill or hillock ; but when we know that taip is a heap, talla a hall, toll a hole, 
teth heat, and tocsaid a hogshead, there can be no doubt of the fact. 

Some races of men discover unaccountable aversion to particular letters, and 
predilection for others : of which R and L are examples. The former is entirely 
excluded in favour of the latter by the Chinese, who say Fu Ian sy, and vulgarly 
Plance, for France. Two American tribes, evidently from one stock, have the 
same speech, except that these letters are their shiboleth. The one cannot ex- 
press R, nor the other L, so that they call themselves Cherakies and Chelakies. 
The Latins, as well as the ancient Goths, preferred the softer sound of L, which 
the Italians, French and English, frequently in the middle of words, pronounce 
like a vowel ; the Gothic fiol or fior is four, and xu^ov is the Latin lilium. The Portu- 
guese generally introduce R instead of L ; but sometimes they absurdly transpose 
them in the same word, as milagre for miracle ; while the Italians convert the Latin 
lusciniola into rosignuolo, a nightingale, and the French orme is the Latin ulmus. 
This disposition militates against the opinion that nations were naturally inclined 
to appropriate the first of these letters to express energy and harshness, and the 
other softness and liquidity. Fortuitous deviations of this sort, as well as muta- 
tions which are sanctioned by general use, will be noticed more properly at the 



[4] 

head of each letter in the body of the work, But, in such an extensive under- 
taking, many things must be omitted : and a claim for great indulgence toward 
instances of misconception and inadvertence cannot be lightly rejected, where so 
much is to be explored among the relics of dark and distant ages, or unravelled 
from the barbarous distortions of elocution, so prevalent in more modern times. 

The Celtic language, including the Hellenic and Latin dialects, is supposed to 
have been general throughout Europe, prior to the irruptions of those hordes 
named Pelasgi, from UeXxa-yr, the neighbouring country, or Pelasgeotse, perhaps 
QuXwynrn, the Gothic tribe, who were called by the Asiatics the red-haired 
people ; and its affinity to the Arabic, Hebrew, and Phoenician, like that of the 
Gothic to the Sanscrit and the ancient Persian, has been generally admitted. 
The first establishment of those invaders was said to have been Argos, the white, 
or town of fair men, and the name afterwards extended to the whole of Greece. 
That particular race may still be distinguished in Sweden, Saxony, Hanover and 
some smaller districts, such as Darmstad, whose lofty stature and flaxen hair in- 
dicate a different descent from the cross made, swarthy inhabitants of Hesse 
Cassel, Bavaria and Suabia; while an evident mixture is observable among the 
English, Belgians, Danes and Prussians. 

Concerning the derivation of Celt, properly Kelt, little can be said with cer- 
tainty, since History is silent ; and Etymology, unless founded on some basis of 
that nature, is no more than conjecture. TxXia,, in compound words, denoted 
belonging to the country. The inhabitants of the continent adjacent to Britain 
called their's Gall or Gaul, and themselves Galiods or Gallouets, by the addition 
of liod, Welsh lyeod, Gothic 1yd, Saxon leod, Greek Ae«?, Aaufas, which alike 
signify the people or nation. The Gothic ha 1yd or ghalyd, and Greek TxXccwSns, 
landsfolk, might readily be conjectured as having produced the Greek synonimes 
TuXotTOi and Rex™, for Celts ; but the latter term has more the appearance of being 
from the Doric KjAitj?, for TeXeW, a boundary. This meaning corresponds exactly 
with kovtx, the Gothic kant, a division, side or boundary ; so that Celtiberia and 
Cantiberia would imply the borders of the Iberus, without any allusion to the 
Celts, who were probably never considered as a distinct nation any more than the 
Tartars. K.,uAuto« however, would correspond with the Welsh and Irish names 
Gwylt and Gwyddel, for inhabitants of the woods. 

It may be observed that the Hebrew galat and galeel signify an adjacent terri- 
tory, or different nation. Gaul, however, can with more probability be traced to 



[5] 

the Persian Gaw, ArmoricGwale, Welsh Gwal, Gotliic Wall, Woll, Velle, Bala, 
Swedish Wall and Scotch Wala, a plain, low or champaign country ; by which 
designation the low districts on both sides of the Alps would have been clearly 
distinguished from those of the mountains ; and such was probably the origin of 
the Wallis or Valais of Switzerland. The same indefinite term might readily 
have included afterwards the different regions to the very confines of the Goths, 
who, at all times, have given the name of Wals or Walsk to the French and 
Italians. Val, in old French, was low, and avalar, to abase. The Gauls almost 
uniformly, at the beginning of words, used G where the Goths had W, as guard, 
ward ; guile, wile ; guise, wise ; by which Wal and Gal or Gwal would be the 
same word. Lower Brittany, in the Armoric dialect, is G welled, the low country, 
which equally well applies to Guelder or the Netherland, where the people were 
once called Gwalons or Walloons. Thus the Gothic Flalander, Flat landers, is 
Flanders; and the inhabitants Flamen or Flamensk, men of the flat or plain, 
Flemmings. The Gothic Walsk, however, denoted also what was foreign, and 
in this sense may be the Gothic Uala for Utala, outborn or outlandish. 

The Gothic gauw or gow, a district, although sometimes used, like the 
Persian gaw, for a vale, had perhaps no connexion with the word Gaul. It 
was converted into the Latin govia, in the names of many places bordering on 
streams of water, such as Brisgaw, Turgaw, in Germany ; and Glasgow, Linlith- 
gow, in Scotland. 

Of the three distinctions, Comati, Togati and Bracchati, applied by the Latins 
to the Gauls, the last seems to have been given to Goths, either through mistake 
or from their having fixed themselves in what was considered a Gallic territory. 
Brik, brok, bracca, adopted by the Greeks and Latins, is Gothic, and signifies 
the break, breach, division, or fork of the body ; and also the clothing called 
breeches: but the Gothic brek or bragd, from bregdato divide, change, variegate, 
and Danish brogges, Swedish brokug, Hebrew barudh, Arabic buruk, abruk, 
Celtic brie or brek, denote what is ornamented, variegated, or striped. Birkbe- 
nar, the ancient name of a class of Gothic warriors, was probably corrupted from 
brikbenar, the soldiers with striped hose, the same perhaps who in Irish history 
were called red shanks. The tartan dress worn by the Highlanders of Scotland, 
isbrycand breacan, in Welsh and Irish: like them too the Galli Braccatior Hel- 
vetii may probably have followed this mode of marking their genealogical descent 
and family connexions ; and the checkered cealt of the Irish, the Gothic kiolt, 
Danish kilt, Teutonic kiolt, a lap or fold, being thus variegated and tucked round 



t«3 

the thighs or loins, was readily confounded with breeches. Diodorus says that 
braccae were sundry coloured clothes ; and the same costume is known to have 
obtained among the Scythians and Persians, who were also called Braccati by the 
Romans. 

Heraldry, S^a, probably originated in such disposal of colours, combined with 
the usage of the Goths in wearing on their armour the figures of beasts and 
birds ; although it received, no doubt, much improvement during the crusades, 
since gules, rose ; sable, black ; azure, blue ; diapre, damask ; and goshu, a 
gusset, are terms borrowed from the Arabic and Persian. The Gothic brsege or 
brahe, gallant, noble, brave, ornamented, produced braghett, or as we would ex- 
press it, bravehood, which was an honorary dress, according to Ferrarius, among 
the ancient Helvetii, known still in Sweden as stsendser hus, the Gothic stanid 
hos, stained hose. Thus, to wear the breeches is to possess an emblem of superior 
rank and authority. This particoloured clothing was also called heden by the Goths, 
from heid, honor, splendor; and not, as some have supposed, from Heathen. 
The plaid of the highland Scots, which they likewise call breacan, corres- 
ponds with the Gothic Hot, Swedish let, stained or spotted, and the Saxon 
bliod or gebliod, coloured, striped, variegated ; all of which seem to have the 
same root with our blow, blush, and bloom ; but plaid, acloke, in Moeso-Gothic, 
was the Islandic palt; perhaps corrupted from fald, a fold or wrapper. The 
word tartan is the French tiretain, probably from the Latin traho and tingo, signi- 
fying drawn or woven in colours. This invention was obviously an improvement 
on the rude staining practised in very ancient times. That worn by women was 
known among the Goths as stanidsa, stained or striped cloke. Even the sporan, 
in Erse or Irish, a purse used as a decoration in dress, has no verbal connexion 
in that language : but the briki beltis sporn, (the breeches belt sporan) of the 
Goths, Swedes and Danes, has the same root with our word spare, to save, from 
which the French have derived espargne, a treasury. 

In the time of Julius Caesar no vestiges of Celtic erudition or monuments of 
ancient architecture appear to have existed either in Gaul or Britain. The bards 
frequented the wicker halls or camps of chieftians ; and the druids practised their 
mysterious devotions in sacred groves, like the idolatrous Hebrews, or among 
the gloomy recesses of the forests. Those rude fabrics of huge stones which 
have been considered too lightly as remains of their temples, are generally Gothic. 
Some inclosure of that kind was usually erected by the Normans and Saxons to 
the memory of a chief slain in battle ; of which many examples are found in Spain 



L*1 

and Portugal, as well as England. Stonehenge, constructed exactly in the same 
style, but of greater dimensions, evidently signifies the stone circle for popular con- 
ventions, called in Sweden allgemenneligit thing oc ring, " the general council 
and ring for the people." Our court of hustings is the Gothic hus thing, the aulic 
forum ; and the Yorkshire riding, rett or ried thing, a justiciary meeting. Thing, 
as a termination corrupted into hing and ing by the Saxons, may be traced in the 
names of many places, such as Reading, Lansing for landsthing : and our lath, a 
district, is merely the Saxon leth contracted from lathing, a law court with the 
portion of territory within its jurisdiction. 

The Goths denominated themselves Gaut or Gautr, Got, Jot or Jotun, which 
they consider as a mere difference in pronunciation, meaning, like riess or russ, 
powerful men, giants, or warriors. The formation of their name may be traced 
with some probability from the Gothic A, to have or possess, which produced 
and, aut, Swedish od, Saxon ead, Teutonic od and ot, Welsh od ; all of them 
signifying wealth, power, happiness, riches, beatitude, lot, fortune, fate ; and 
hence were apparently derived our words God and good : the Latin bonus signi- 
fied good, rich ; dives, divus, opulence and divinity. The Greek nxauro?, also, 
was wealth and Pluto, known to the Goths as Audin or Odin, the Syrian Mam- 
mon. The Persian Aydun, Hebrew Adoni, the Lord, the Almighty, Tartar 
Aidin, light, splendor, may be connected with Persian ade, ader, Saxon ade, 
Welsh odyn,fire, and the firstOdin was probably the Sun. The chief who conducted 
the Goths into Scandinavia appears by his Gothic names Odin, Oten, Wodan and 
Godan, to have been confounded with the Deity, because his name, like the 
Persian Udu, the Gothic Aud, Welsh Udd, denoted power; as the Arabic 
Akbar is applied to designate God or a mighty prince in the sense of our word 
Lord. The Bodh, Voda, or Bogd of the Indians, Tartars and Russians, the 
But, Bud, Wud, of the Persians and idolatrous Arabs, the Qud or Khoda of 
all the tribes from Turkey throughout Tartary, the Godami of the Malays and 
Ceylonese, appear to be merely different pronunciations of Wodan, especially 
as bodh or boodh, in Sanscrit and the common dialects of Hindoostan, is used for 
our Wednesday or Odin's day. 

Whether the Aud of the Goths produced their Auskia and As, may be doubt- 
ful : but thsy were names for God, Jupiter, and Odin. Odin and his fol- 
lowers were known as Asiamen ; Msi were Gods of the Tyrrheni ; and according 
to Gothic authors, Asgard, in Media, the ancient capital of our forefathers, now 
pronounced Chasgardia, is called Aderkind, Azerkind, by the Persians, 



[8] 

and Adir kerdt by the Turks ; meaning the city of fire. Kind in the Persian 
name is the Sanscrit kund, and Tartar kerd is the Gothic gard, Rus- 
sian gorod, an inclosure. Zoroaster, Zurtusht, probably had his name from 
this object of his adoration. The Dragon with the Scythians was the 
emblem of fire ; and the story of St. George and the Dragon appears to 
have been a metaphor of the triumph of Christianity over Magism. The Hebrew 
esh, Syrian as, the Persian atash, azish, Gothic eysa, Swedish aesa, Eva-x, 'Es-fu, 
signified fire, and hence .the Gothic and our word ashes : The Auska of the 
Goths was the goddess of sun-beams ; Astar, the Ar«fT£ of the Syrians, Hebrew 
Ashtaroth, Venus ; whence the Persians had their Ashtee or Love Feast, which 
is our Easter. As diisa, the moon or Diana, was the sister of that great luminary 
worshipped in the east as Boodh, called Adonis in the heathen mythology of the 
west ; and still consecrated by name in our Sunday,* 

It is remarkable that boars were sacrificed at the winter solstice by the Goths, 
whose ol, J ol or Jula, from ala, to parturate, is our yule, the nativity, anciently of 
the new year, and now of Christ. Those animals were before known as sunnu golt 
and jula golt, sun or yule boars, sufficiently indicating the time and purpose of a 
worship so natural to the ignorant inhabitants of a rude climate. 

The etymon already assigned for Odin is congenial with the Gothic synonimes 
for God : Har or haer, high, is their herr, the Lord ; ofur or over, above, having the 
article J prefixed as usal, became their Jofur, Persian Zufur, Zubur, the superior, 
or Jove, which the Latins adopted as more declinable than Jupiter. The Gothic ne- 
gative reversed the meaning of this term, and na ofur is the Scotch Nufur, signify- 
ing the devil, or literally the infernal, which is the opposite of Jofur, the supreme. 
The Goths equalled the Greeks, Romans and Hindoos, in the number of their 
idols. In Gothland one hundred of them were exhibited in the great temple de- 
dicated toThor. Their belief in a trinity of the Godhead had been adopted in 

* Hes, Heet, Hit, the Chaldean name of the bituminous fountains, called Is by Herodotus, which 
served for building Babylon, has considerable resemblance to the Hebrew esh, Gothic assa, Teutonic 
heiss, ourhot, denoting their inflammable nature. Hylla, the ancient Babylon, is perhaps connected 
with the Persian ala, Gothic ell, fire; "HAioy, Welsh haul, the sun; which, with the Persian, Gothic, and 
our own prefix be, may have produced the Chaldean Bel, Heb rew Bell, Belus, pronounced Beio among 
the Tartars and Laplanders. Thus the Chaldean Bab el, or Bab bel would mean the inclosure of fire, 
or of the Sun, corresponding with the Asgard of the Goths. The Hebrew Eli, Arabic and Persian 
Eli, Alah, Ilah, the supreme Being, were apparently Bell, Baal and Belus, the Lord. The Gothic Bal, 
Swedish Bal, Saxon Bael, also signify fire ; from ala, Saxon aelan, to burn. 



[9 ] 

Asia, and it prevented their conversion to Christianity until the introduction of the 
Athanasian creed, several centuries after the death of Christ. 

The name of Goths, or powerful, may have been assumed, subsequently to their 
emigration, from the pride of conquest; but, they are said to have been once 
known as Jaette or Hiaette, Saxon Geatas, signifying both Getae and giants. This 
might be derived from their own word / <ztt, the progeny, the clan ; or, more 
probably, their ha or gha, Greek Toe, the land, had been prefixed to cett ; by 
which Hsette, Hiaette or Ghaette would mean descendants of the land, giants. It 
was in this sense that ^Eschylus calls Pelasgus, who probably was a Goth, son of 
the earth-born. In sacred history the children of the land are described as giants ; 
the Greek Tty*s has both significations ; and, in Roman mythology, Terra was the 
mother of all giants. 

The Goths, not merely in name, but from speech, manners, country, and their own 
tradition, were the Getae of ancient authors, better known, to us, with the article 
prefixed, as Sgetae, Scacae, or Scythians. The Massagetae were so named from 
their own word Massa, Sanscrit Maha, Mceso-Gothic Maiza, great, mighty, pow- 
erful, or perhaps from Saxon Maethas, the Medians ; and the Moeso-Getae 
were those who inhabited Mcesia. Scandinavia, the Skanisk or Scaniza of 
Jornandes, the Skagan of the Goths, signifying a shelving shore, is applied 
to the extremity of Jutland at the entrance into the Baltic sea; and the 
modern Scania, the southernmost coast of Sweden, may have been Skagen idun, 
to which the Latin termination was annexed. There they distinguished themselves 
after their relative positions, as Normen, Suddermen, Austrgautr, Westrgautr, 
Danen, and Saxen, which in our language would be northmen, southmen, east- 
Goths, west-Goths, islanders, and sea borderers. The Goths used sun as 
well as sud for the south, and called the Swedes Suens, or Soenski, the Latin 
Sueones. The Gothic eyna, 6n, Danish oen, islands, with the article de, our the, 
would be de oen, the islands, and denote the aquatic territory of the Danes, called 
Daenmark in Saxon ; the Gothic mark, Persian marz, being our march, a 
boundary. Ion, the island, is Jona ; and mi 6n, between the islands, Mona. 

The inhabitants of Germany were in speech Goths, including the Teuton 
whose proper name was Thiuden, from the Gothic thiod or tiod, folk, subjects, 
people : Tha, was the land, and jod, a child ; and thus Suithioden, the south na- 
tion, or Sudermannia, was Sweden. Thiodsk, now pronounced Teudsh or Teutch, 
throughout Germany, Tudeschi in Italy, and by us Dutch, means strictly be- 

C 



longing to the nation. Tiod mot, a national meeting, has been contracted into diet, 
and Theodoric, rich in subjects, was a name totally different from the Greek 
Theodore. 

Sigg, segr, sigsman, in Gothic and Saxon, is a warrior and a conqueror. The 
North American savages, nearest to Europe, call their captains Sachems and 
their great chief tan Saga more ; which is almost purely Gothic. Sax, or as we 
say, Saxony, might appear to be connected with this word ; but generally, 
throughout the Gothic tongues, see aeg -was the sea side or edge, the German 
shore, along which Saxony anciently extended. The Gothic sax, from ax, an 
edged tool, has been fancifully suggested by some who were willing to believe that 
most nations assumed names from their favourite weapon in war, particularly as 
sax was a short sword and also the sharp beak or prow of a galley. 

Those Saxons, from whom we have obtained the name of English, inhabited 
Angria or Angermanland. The Gothic angur, or more frequently angul, from the 
disposition already noticed to change R into L, is the Danish angul, the Saxon 
enge, a hook or strait ; and although Anglia, the ancient capital of which is said 
to have been Haethaby near Sleswick, extended in latter times as far as the Weser, 
it consisted properly of what now is called Angelen, being a narrow part of the 
Isthmus between the broad domain of Saxony and the Jutes. The latter were 
the Saxon Ytas or Eotas and the Gothic Utts, Jutts, or inhabitants of that jut of 
land forming the entrance into the Belt, which is the Gothic baelt, Scotch belth, a 
passage for ships, a channel, giving name to the Baltic sea. Utt in Gothic^ 
Swedish udd, Saxon eot, is an isthmus, and Eotole, in Saxon, signified both Jut- 
land and Italy. 

The English had their name from angl, and the Scotish from scot, by the addi- 
tion of the Gothic termination sk, which is the origin of our ish, the Saxon isc, 
Teutonic isch, Greek 7<ros, signifying assimilated, identified ; and the term is used 
in all dialects to the very shores of China. Thus, in Russia and Tartary , Tobolsk, 
on the river Tobol, Uralsk belonging to the Ural, are followed by Ochotsk and 
Yukutsk bordering on the Pacific Ocean. 

The Saxon chiefs, who led their countrymen to the conquest of Britain, were 
called Heugist and Horsa from their military insignia ; for those are alike names 
for a stallion or horse ; the figure of which is still retained in the armorial bear- 
ings of their relatives, the illustrious house of Hanover. The Gothic hiu alf 



[11] 

signified the family or race of Alfo, the successor of Odin, who was considered 
to be not only royal but divine. It became afterwards corrupted into Whelf, and 
Guelph, when used to distinguish the Imperial and Papal factions in Italy. The 
Teutonic bild and bill, although differently composed, were written alike, and sig- 
nified likeness, law, liberty, privilege. In either sense it might have been con- 
sidered as corresponding with j3»xii, low Latin bulla, as an official ordonance of the 
Pope. In its first sense it was however formed from the Gothic lit, lih, a coun- 
tenance, which produced Saxon bileh, bilith, Swedish belcete, Teutonic bild, an 
image, device, cypher. In the second sense the root was Gothig lag, law, equity, 
which became bilag, bill and bild. To these terms the Teutons prefixed weih or 
tceich, the Gothic we, sacred, holy ; and thus weihbild, weichbill, was a consecrated 
signet, or a sanctioned civil right. The Italians, according to custom , converting the 
Gothic W into G, made Ghibelli ; their diminutive of which, Ghibellini, was ap- 
plied to the opponents of the Guelphs. 

To conclude the observations relative to Anglo-Saxony, it may be observed 
that, the principal part of its territory, when most extended, is now included in 
the dominions of Prussia ; a word formed from the Gothic bo, a colony or settle- 
ment, and russe, which was the ancient name* of the river Niemen ; and thence 
originated the barbarous Latin Borussia, the German Preussen ; unless the jpo of the 
Sclavonians, adopted by the Danes, be the prefix, by which the word would signify 
upon the russe. Pomerania is, no doubt, the Sclavonian po moeri, on the sea. 

Continual warfare with the Gauls and Romans must have attracted all the 
military force of the Goths, from the east and west, toward the frontier rivers 
and mountains which were their natural barriers. Those individuals who pos- 
sessed extraordinary spirit of enterprize could indulge it there in what was 
deemed legitimate spoliation ; while the peaceable cultivators of the soil, in the 
more northern countries, enjoyed a state of tranquillity which could not fail to 
produce an excess of population. These military bands, who, according to 
Caesar and Tacitus, had annually a new distribution of territorial property, main- 
tained among themselves almost entire independence, and were at times even 
hostile to each other, unless when united under some chief against the common 
enemy, or with a view to conquest. It happened frequently that an aspiring 
military character, taking the lead, was joined from every quarter by those who 
disdained a state of repose ; and this assemblage, as with the Tartars, bore the 
name of that people from whom he descended ; although far from being the most 
numerous of his followers. 



[12] 

The Suevi or Suabians were so called from the Gothic swefia, Teutonic 
schwaben, to associate tumultuously, to swarm ; and the Almanni may have been 
either Allmen, or more probably the Gothic Allmagn ; which like Gior or Ger- 
magn, signified the entire might or main force, and would include all the warlike 
borderers of every denomination along the Dnieper, the Danube and the Rhine, 
to the German ocean. 

The Ukrain, Persian kran, a limit, as in Krain and Krainth, now Carniola and 
Carinthia, had apparently the same root with our word rand and the Gothic gran 
or graentz, signifying the border ; being probably considered as part of the Gothic 
Langobard, from lango, extensive, and bard, a border, which at one time com- 
prehended Dacia and reached to the Black Sea. But when the Langobardi, de- 
feated and dispersed, were forced to seek refuge for several centuries in the in- 
terior countries, whence perhaps they originally sprang, the limits of Almagna 
became contracted to the Danube and the March. That river called Moraw and 
Moera, from the Gothic mser, Persian marz, Greek po7g, our meer, a boundary, 
gave name to the Marcomani, men of the marches, and afterwards to the country 
called Moravia. Next to them came the Catti, or Kanti of the Goths, derived from 
their att, jat, jad and ghatt, Arabic hadd, a border; whence the low Latin 
Gades and Getia, now called Hesse. The Gothic and Saxon saelyd or saelid, the 
people of the sea-shore or descending coast, were probably the Salii of the 
Latins ; particularly as the final consonant was frequently omitted by the Goths ; 
and Frizeland for Fri sse land, was the country of the Frisones. The Gothic bala, 
a plain or flat, and ha or gha, the Greek yx or yv, a territory, may have been 
corrupted into the Latin Belgae, with whom terminated the primary list of 
borderers. 

The Vandals apparently were not known till a later date. Their name origi- 
nated in the Gothic vanda, from which we have our verbs to wend and to wander, 
converted by the Teutons into vandel ; which designated some hordes of emi- 
grants, compelled by over population to leave their native soil in quest of new 
possessions ; but these people were totally different from the Vendi, who may 
have been the Hueni or Huenti, Huns and Fins. Venice was also called 'Even'* 
by the Greeks, and Hungary, Vengaria by the Russians. 

Most of the tribes here enumerated were afterward included in the more gene- 
ral names of Burgund and Frantz. The former, probably from Gothic bor, bord, 
and gun, people or warriors of the borders, were also called Urgundi from the 



[ 13] 

Gothic ur, over, exterior or separated. The Rhetian alps seem to have been 
named from the Gothic ra aetti, mountain-limit ; but this ra became the German 
gera, and produced the modern names of Grausons and Grisons for Ge-raetians. 
The Eth in Tirol, if formed from astt, would mean the boundary river. No root 
enters more into Gothic composition than ra, Swedish ra, Persian rayah, Saxon 
rawa, Teutonic rah, Greek 3gi«, Latin ora. demarcation or limit. It served to 
form the Gothic ran, ren, or rand, as used by us, a line or border, which is also 
the Teutonic rain, Irish ran, French rang, Welsh rhenge, our range and rank. 

The initial letters B, F, V, and G, were common prefixes of nearly the same 
purport with the Goths, who said frewa, froa, groa, to grow; frid, grid, peace; 
so that ren became their bryn and brun ; whence our word bourn and the French 
borne, a limit or boundary. Ran, with G prefixed, is the Gothic grams or grans, 
Danish granse, Teutonic gran, grantz, vran or vrantz, changing to the Moeso- 
Gothic fera, the Saxon feran, which produced Grancia and Francia in low Latin. In 
Scotland this etymon may be traced in Grantz ben or Grain pen, now pronounced 
Grampian, the boundary mountain ; and Greens dike, converted into Graems dike, 
the boundary rampart. The Teutonic france, French frange, and our fringe, a 
border, appertain to this general meaning ; and the Gothic brin, already noticed as 
a variation of the same term, was also brenk, our brink, a margin, from which 
the ancient names of Brenks or Brensk, as well as Franks and Fransk, were 
given to the same people. 

It would appear from similar investigation that Pharamund, the Gothic Ra- 
mund and Framund, corresponding with Ofi a^wx or Qogapw, and signifying pro- 
tector of the border, must have had that title before he led the Franks into Gaul. 
The Gothic mund, or munt God, was the war-cry of the Goths, which the 
French pronounced Mount-joye, because God sounded like the Latin gaudium, 
their and our joy. This mund, in the same sense, formed the termination of 
many Persian words, being apparently the Sanscrit wunt or want : and from it 
are derived the names Sigismund, patron of victory or conquest; Edmund, de- 
fender of power; Gundamund, support of battle; Efrimund, high warden; Rosa- 
mund, endowed with praise, and not rosy-mouth as some have supposed, which 
is totally inconsistent with the dignity of Gothic names both male and female. 
Rosa, the Swedish roos, Danish roes, Scotch roose, produced rosary, divine 
worship, and beroose converted into praise. The Goths, and Greeks also, pre- 
fixed B to the initial R 5 and in this way the ancient racing at weddings, in the 
portion of Britain northward of the river Humber, for the bride's praise or favour, 



[ 14] 

has become broose, without any more connexion with brose, brewis, or broth, 
than the vulgar phrase of ruling the roast, with what is roasted ; and the Gothic 
ros hatt, Danish roest, renown, pre-eminence, was probably the origin of the 
vulgar expression to call roast meat, to vaunt. 

In the later periods of the Greek empire the predatory Goths, who called 
themselves Vaeringe or Vaeringer, which signifies in their language, military or 
pretorian bands, became the terror of friends and foes on the shores of the Medi- 
terranean sea. It was they who under Hast '1 hegnus, the high Thane or Maire 
du Palais, are said to have founded the town of Hastings ; and from them the 
Russians received their sovereign Rourick, rich in peace, whose descendants 
were called the Warger or Waringer dynasty. The depredators known to us as 
Normans were these Vaeringi, the Beringi and Veringi of the Greeks and Latins, 
whose valorous achievements as Furungee, when associated with the Franks 
during the Crusades, are celebrated to this day in eastern romance throughout 
Persia and Hindoostan. They were of the same stock with those chiefs who had 
obtained the dominion of France, whom they assisted in defending and desolating 
the Greek empire When joined to the Italians and English, with multitudes of 
other military pilgrims, their common jargon produced the modern commercial 
language called lingua franca; and thence all Europeans are known as Furungee, 
by the Asiatics. Among the changes arising from such corrupt pronunciation 
may be here instanced those which have occurred in the name now generally 
assumed by the sovereigns of France. The Gothic Lud wig, renowned warrior, 
was Hludivig or Hluwig in Saxon, and formed the low Latin Chlodovicus or Lu- 
dovicus, which became successively Cloud, Clovis, and Louis, with the French. 
By similar gradations the Gothic cer rik, rich in honour, Saxon Eor rick, Swedish 
Erick, with the Gothic article J or ij prefixed, produced Yorick, Jorge and 
George. 

Various etymons have been assigned for Britain without any advertence to the 
wordbro, so universal among the Celts of our islands and of Gaul, where it is 
also pronounced bru or broed ; which like the Syriac baro, Gothic byr, signifies a 
populated country. The Armoricans now call England bro saos, the land of the 
Saxons ; and the Welsh and Irish have the term in common use, saying bro aeg, 
a country accent, or brogue ; bruaidh, a compatriot ; and broed dyn, a country- 
man or Briton ; tan, in both Irish and Welsh, is an extended or flat territory ; so 
that broed tan, like Gaul, might have served to distinguish the plain from the 
mountainous country, until time had rendered the name general to the whole 



• [ 15] 

island. Other districts on the adjacent continent, besides Brittany, were known 
from circumstances of locality, which the Celts were apt to observe ; and thus 
Armorica is composed of ar mor, on the sea. The Welsh braidd, Swedish bredd, 
and Danish bred, the shore, correspond with the Armoric and Gothic bordd or 
bord ; but dd being usually pronounced like z, by the Gallic and Cambrian Celts, 
Brittany became Breiz, the maritime district, the chief port of which is Brest. 
The Welsh Prydan, for Britain, from pryd, the Gothic prydd, beautiful, adorned, 
was only used poetically. 

The modern name Wales originated with the Saxons, who, after the Goths, so 
pronounced Gaul, in which they included Italy, and considered the Britons, who 
took refuge in their mountains, as Roman subjects. The Celtic Gual, Galle in 
French, produced Gualbech, little Gaul, and hence Perkin Walbeck, the heir of 
Wales'. The name Cimmri, inhabitants of Cambria, being the regular plural of 
cym bro, the united country, might not have been peculiar to the people of 
Wales. But the northern Cimbri, probably Kynfrei, from the Gothic kynfer, a 
kinsman, were certainly Goths inhabiting the whole of the territory now included 
in Denmark. Gothland was also called Kynaland. 

The Hebrew pinnah, (3avo? modern Greek bouno, and Celtic pen signify a moun- 
tain or cliff; and the Latin pinna, in some cases, has the same meaning; while 
the Portuguese pinna is more particularly applied to a serrated ridge or hill. Albion 
may therefore have been the albae pinnae or white cliffs : unless confounded with 
Albany, which as it would seem, denoted exclusively the highlands of Scotland. 
The Welsh al pen and Irish al ben correspond with the Latin altae pinnae, high 
mountains, Alpennines, Alps. Breadalbane, from the foregoing etymons, is there- 
fore the Irish bruaidh al ben, the region of lofty hills ; and Hispania may thus 
have been Hispena, a corrupt pronunciation of Cispinna, by the Latin colonists on 
that side of the Pyrennees. Cale was the ancient name of Oporto ; and the sur- 
rounding district being formed into a sovereignity was called Porto Cale, cor- 
rupted into Portugal. 

The Scots and Picts were no doubt originally the same people : but a consider- 
able change in their language and manners was afterwards effected by fortuitous 
circumstances and different pursuits. It is well known that, ever since the 
earliest ages of our history, adventurers from the shores of Scandinavia made 
annual excursions into Ireland and Scotland, to plunder cattle for their winter 
subsistence. On such predatory warfare, continued after the clans had received 



[ 16] 

Gothic chiefs, were founded the poems ascribed to Ossian or O'sian ; a word 
which, in Irish and Gothic, is the man of song. Homer also signified the hymner 
poet or psalmist, Hesiod, , H<no<T© j (for^Ho-j? and 'AokJoj) the delightful singer, and 
all three, apparently, were imaginary persons, to whom the genuine poetry of the 
times was ascribed by traditionary consent. These Gothic freebooters, called 
Scouts or Scots, from the nature of their visits, gave occasion to the Irish, who 
still understand Scuite as a wanderer or pillager, to extend the name to adven- 
turers from Spain or whatever other country. Their boats were also known in 
Gothic as skiota, Islandic skuta, Swedish skiut or skuta, Belgic schuit, Saxon 
skyte, a scout boat ; and the Welsh evidently considered the Scots and Picts as 
the same race, for with them Peithas (Pictish) signified also a scout boat. 

In Ireland, which, according to Bede and the Saxon Chronicle, was first called 
Scotland, it would appear that the Scouts or Scots, by superior management and 
intermarriages, must have succeeded to many chieftainries among the Celtic in- 
habitants, without the support of any great population from their own tribes. For, 
although much of their language pervades the Irish or Erse, where the very terms 
of family descent, such as Mac and O, as well as the word Gailic or Gaol ac, 
the kindred speech, are apparently Gothic, (from ga ol, native ; ale or eld, 
the Persian all, progeny,) the people adhere to what is called the Celtic tongue. 
On the contrary, very extensive and numerous emigrations of Goths, for the ex- 
press purpose of colonization, seem to have been directed to all parts of Britain 
northward of the river Humber, where the Gothic speech and character have 
consequently been preserved with much less variation than in the south. 

The Gothic bygd, bigt, Swedish bygd, Danish biggit, Scotch bigget, a culti- 
vated district, are derived from bua, to inhabit or colonize ; and the Gothic con- 
struction of that verb into byggais little known in the Teutonic dialects, although 
their bau is tillage, and bauer, a boor. From the Gothic abor or abauer, a culti- 
vator, we had the Ebori, whose name corresponds in meaning exactly with Picts. 
The Boii, whencesoever they came, were probably so denominated from the Scla- 
vonian Bogi, boyards, or the Gothic and Swedish by, bau, abo, a colony ; and 
thence their place of settlement is Boheirn or Bohemia, where most of the present 
inhabitants are undoubtedly Sclavonians. Bayern, the German for Bavaria, 
Bern, in Switzerland, and our ancient Bernicia may be traced also from the 
Gothic baur and baer, which belong to this prolific root. 

The Picts, therefore, according to etymology, were the Gothic Bigts, Saxon 



[ in 

Pyhtas, Scolch Pights, the Petes of the Orkneys, and Peithe of the Welsh, whose 
peu, like the Gothic bau or by, is a habitation. This appellation may have 
served to distinguish them from the roving Scouts or Scots, of the Baltic and of 
Ireland ; who afterwards, to oppose the common enemy, joined them with such 
hordes of Celts as were induced to follow their banners. 

The Norwegians called their two colonies in Greenland the East and West 
Bygts ; and other circumstances are powerful in support of the opinion that the 
Picts were husbandmen. The Irish continue to call wheat cruithneachd, the corn 
of the Picts, or red corn ; and in the northern counties of England, as well as in 
Scotland, are still seen many ruins of ancient granaries known by tradition as 
Pictish houses. The Gothic byg, a country community, a cultivated district or 
village, converted by us into by, in Appleby, Whitby, Selby, Grimsby and other 
places, has sufficient resemblance with the Armoric paig, which is the Greek 
and Latin pagus, to indicate their common origin ; and hence Picardy, Poictu, 
Pictavia, where a colony of Picts, according to Coesar, actually resided, may 
have obtained their names in the same sense, either from a Gothic or Celtic 
source. It is almost superfluous to observe that the Germans usually pronounce 
b like p, which anciently did not appear in the Gothic alphabet. In Irish the 
term cruithneach, or cruinath, denoted the Picts ; and cruinath tuath, the northern 
or Pictish country. Tuath signified the left hand and the north, because the 
former had that direction when the face was turned toward the east in adoration. 
The Irish Cruithen or Cruinath, probably from cruin, red, Welsh and Armoric 
Gwridian, yellow or fair men, may therefore have been the Corotani or Coroniad, 
who, in Welsh tradition, are said to have settled in Wales long prior to the 
invasion of the Romans, and were really Picts according to Vegetius and Sidonius 
Apollinaris. 

These inquiries concerning Scotland may be concluded with noticing that the 
Gothic Kali idun, district of the mountains, or Gothic Kull,. Persian and Sanscrit 
Kul, progeny, Gothic Kullidon, clans of the Highlands, may be Caledonia, other- 
wise called Du-Caledon, black or north Caledon, to distinguish it from countries 
which bore the same name ; and the latter portion of that word, so common to 
many places in the united kingdoms, is now generally known as dun, a hill. The 
Gothic ida, a cliff, seems, indeed, to have been so widely applied with this sense, 
in ancient geography, that, the mind is pleased to recognise its remote affinities. 

D 



t 18] 

Troy had also its celebrated mount Ida, and Troja with the Goths was a 
fortress. They seem to have been intimately acquainted with the works of 
Homer, to whose Trojans they gave the name of Tyrki, probably the Greek 
Teucri. The Arabic, Persian and Chaldean Tur is a high rock, mound or 
rampart, the origin of our tower; and likewise of Tyre, from the hill in its vici- 
nity. The Persians and Chaldeans, frequently converting t into z, say Zur for 
Tyre, and their Zuria is Syria. The Goths are known to have extended them- 
selves from very remote times along the shores of the Euxinesea, where their lan- 
guage partly exists at the present day : and St. Jerome, after having resided at 
the German town of Treves about the middle of the fourth century, visited Ga- 
latia, and found at both places the same speech. It is therefore possible that 
iEneas might really have conducted a colony of fugitive Goths into Italy. 

The name Ireland probably did not obtain till the arrival there of the Goths ; be- 
cause land, although now used by the Irish, has no connexion in their language. 
The Saxon Ira and Latin Ierne may have been adopted from the Irish iar or 
iarain, the western island. Iar signifies the back, and figuratively the west, 
from the position of those who worshipped the rising sun. The Hindoos, in 
the same way, distinguish the four quarters of the globe : with the Arabs and 
Jews, yaman or iemin, is the south and the right hand. The remains of that 
once universal observance are common in every country, and particularly in the 
construction of Roman Catholic and our own churches, where the altar must in- 
variably face the east to admit of consecration. The Irish iarin, to the Welsh 
would resemble their y wyrin, verdant, the Greek 'E«^mi, vernal, the Erin of the 
Irish. Er in, the noble or ancient island, was used by the Irish poetically : But 
their ibh signifies an island; and from ibh iarin, western land, the Saxons were 
likely to form their Ihbern and the Latins Hibernia. Among the Gothic invaders 
of that country, mentioned in Irish history, were the Firbolgs, from the Gothic fir 
or vair, Irish fir, Latin vir, man, and Bolg, Belgian. 

London, in both Welsh and Armoric, is lyn din, the lake or pool city. The 
word din or dinas, in this composition, is the Hebrew dun, Gothic tun, Irish dun, a 
town ; and lin in nearly all the Gothic and Celtic dialects is a pool. The latter 
seems to have denoted, more particularly, a place deepened by the confluence of 
tides or agitation of torrents, than the Celtic leoch or lag, and Gothic laug ; which 
prefixed to dun, became Lugdunum, the Latin name for both Leyden and Lyons. 



[ 19 3 

Edinburgh, according to the etymon already noticed for Caledonia, is evidently 
the Gothic idun, a mountain or precipice, and burgh, a city. 

Dublin, the Irish dubh linne, or black pool, corresponds exactly with its Welsh 
name of Du lyn, from dubh, or du, Hebrew deio, Gothic dauk, Saxon doh, Teu- 
tonic duh, black, and lin, as in the formation of London, a pool. 

The history of Europe and its ancient inhabitants affords little aid to the Philo- 
logist ; but the foregoing explanations, together with the cognate etymons in their 
vocabularies, tend to confirm what has been remarked by many intelligent writers, 
relative to the number of our Celtic and Gothic words so perfectly similar, in 
sound and meaning, that, there is much difficulty in ascertaining to which of the 
two they originally belonged. This circumstance however might partly arise 
from the eagerness with which those who differed almost entirely in speech would 
catch, from each other, such terms as had any resemblance to their own ; al- 
though precision must have been injured, by warpings of meaning, in those rude 
efforts to produce some rays of mutual understanding. 

It may be suggested that many apposite derivations might be obtained by the 
junction of words which have been known only as monosyllables in their original 
language. But, the sober rules of etymology will not admit of much latitude, at 
this day, in the artificial construction of ancient elementary particles into polysyl- 
lables, however aptly their component parts may accord with the purpose. Sci- 
entific terms, indeed, have been so fabricated with advantage; although equally 
barbarous with those of the monks, physicians and lawyers of the lower ages, 
which from long use cannot now be conveniently rejected. But, were such li- 
cence fully admitted into etymological research, there would be no difficulty in 
deducing any word from what is now called Celtic, on account of its extraordi- 
nary flexibility, indistinct pronunciation, and those mutations of letters which lead 
the imagination so readily into error. Resemblance, in meaning and sound, is 
therefore not always sufficient to constitute an etymon. On the contrary our 
verbs to lease and to glean, originating from one Gothic root, discover to the ear 
little or no affinity ; and those who are conversant in the Latin, Italian and French 
languages will admit that, our words to beautify and to embellish are both de- 
rived from the Latin bellus. 

Occasion will be taken hereafter [to explain that, Gothic and Celtic particles 
cannot be united in compound words without bearing signs of distortion. The 



[20] 

two languages differ generally in the construction of sentences, and particularly 
in giving- precedence to the adjective or substantive noun. In the Gothic th e 
former mode was almost invariable, while the contrary and more convenient 
arrangement prevailed with the Celts. " The horse, white, stately and swift," 
by bringing the principal object first to notice, and its relative qualities in regular 
succession, produces better effect than " the white, stately, and swift horse," 
where the mind is held in suspense to the end of the sentence. 

Adam Smith was not aware that, by the same course of ideas, the auxiliary 
verbs in Greek and Latin formed the terminations which constituted the mood 
and^tense. The Gothic construction, being generally different, appeared to him 
more simple, because the component parts were more distinct and obvious. His 
own quotation of amavero leads to this conviction, as it was anciently written 
amau ero, and the French aurai aime transposed into aime aurai would be nearly 
similar. Indeed it matters no more than to say loved, love did or did love. In 
the Arabic and its dialects, so averse to compound words, the parts of speech 
afford clearer views of origin and practice than those of the Sanscrit, Persian, 
Gothic, Greek and Latin, which admit of the most extensive composition. The, 
Gothic, besides, in common with the Greek, possesses a facility of connecting 
substantive nouns to great advantage. Horseman, is much more concise than 
man on horseback, " homme a cheval ;" but foreigners who conceive from their 
own idiom that an adjective must exist in such phrases, are betrayed into even 
greater blunders than those we so readily commit by mistaking the genders of 
their nouns. The stranger who in broken English complains of being treated as 
if he were a black shoe, instead of a shoeblack, has acquired the vocabulary, but 
mistakes the phraseology of our language, and excites laughter among the vulgar, 
who also mock the Welsh for converting the pronoun he into her, because the 
former happens to be the Celtic, as well as the Arabic, feminine gender of the same 
pronoun. Such incongruities, although unavoidable among illiterate people 
whose speech is fundamentally different, and abounding with inflexions unknown 
in that of the Goths, may have given cause to remark that, the descendants of the 
latter are more prone than others to ridicule foreigners who speak their language 
imperfectly. 

In a work founded on etymology, there can be no rational inducement to adopt 
any hypothesis in favour of national precedence on claims of antiquity. The 
crossings of the Celts and Goths have been too advantageous to physical and in- 
tellectual improvement to admit of the least regret that the two races should 



L21] 

become blended and indistinct. Whatever therefore may appear like preference, 
among the cognate etymons, must be attributed generally to convenience of ar- 
rangement. Many of our colloquial terms were equally in use among the Greeks, 
Latins and Goths from their- former intimacy : but, excepting those peculiar to 
the sciences, they have reached us more immediately from the latter, whose con- 
struction of them we have also closely retained. Where they are common to the 
Gothic and the Welsh, Irish or Armorican Celtic, it ought to be recollected that 
no record or tradition alludes to any ancient emigration from the south or west of 
Europe toward the north ; while history, since its earliest period with us, has 
noticed those swarms of men from the shores of the Baltic who continually infested 
France and the British islands. 

It is not probable that these people would carry back to their own country, 
where it would be unintelligible, any great portion of a foreign language; and 
there is still a better criterion that the Celts were generally the borrowers from 
the Gothic, in that repugnance to amalgamation which is notorious in words of 
heterogeneous origin. To form legitimate alliance, they must be of the same 
family or caste ; and thus the terms adopted from the Goths appear isolated and 
sterile in the Celtic vocabulary, while abundantly prolific in their own. The 
numerous Arabic particles and phrases introduced into Persian, in the same 
manner, continue to preserve their extraneous rank and character. This disposi- 
tion is still more remarkable in our own tongue : because it possesses a sufficiency 
of Gothic and Celtic materials for almost two distinct propagations, which, con- 
tributing to the general stock without being entirely blended, constitute its rich- 
ness and excellence. 

Instances, however, do occur where Gothic terminating particles coalesce with 
Latin words; either because the latter were deficient in expression or could not 
otherwise be reconciled to the idiom of our language. The Gothic adjunct, full, 
employed in converting substantives into adjectives, as rueful, manful, hateful, 
has been extended to joy, scorn, cheer, use, which belong to another source; and 
we have substituted the Gothic adverbial termination ly, for the French merit, in 
derivations from the Latin. Gothic adjectives became substantives by the addi- 
tion of ness, such as coldness, sadness, brightness ; and our Latin words tedious, 
tardy, neat, plain, rude, apt, have followed the same construction ; but all sub- 
stantives used adjectively by the aid of y final, like hearty, handy, filthy, witty, 
are Gothic, except gaudy, balmy, and rosy. Adjectives which end in some, as 
wholesome, gladsome, handsome, are generally Gothic. Substantives ending in 



[22] 

head or hood, from Gothic het, Teutonic heit, state, condition, like Godhead, 
maidenhood or maidenhead, manhood, childhood ; which added to adjectives is 
contracted into th, as breadth, width, health, dearth, sloth; together with verbs 
rendered frequentative by the termination er, of which among many others are 
waver, chatter, clamber, wander; from wave, chat, climb, wend; and all those 
that admit of the prepositions, for, fore, up, y, or be, belong assuredly to the 
Golhic. Substantives made adjectives by ish, as english, childish, are all Gothic, 
but the vulgarism of feverish for feverous. The Gothic an or un, being sinony- 
mous with the Latin negative in, and er with re, when used as prefixes, frequent 
substitutions of them have arisen, by which we say undoubtedly and indubitably, 
unviolated or inviolate, and release is the Gothic erlassa confounded with the 
Latin relaxo. 

On the Latin side must be placed all our substantives and adjectives of two or 
more syllables ending in able, ible, al, ant, ate, ent, ence, ce, cy, ment, ous, ty, 
including also tude, by which adjectives become substantives, as solitude, multi- 
tude ; and others converted into verbs by fy, as deify, vilify, glorify : but so inap- 
plicable do they prove to our Gothic compositions that the most ignorant person 
would not transgress so far as to say lonelytude, manytude ; or godify, foulify, 
praisify; which, however intelligible, could not be endured by an English ear. 
The prepositions ab, com, con, de/di, dis, e, ex, inter, ob, pre, pro, sub, subter, 
super, (French sur,) tra and trans, obtain alliance only with Latin or Celtic words; 
nor, with the exception of a very few terms from the Norman code which end 
with ance, age or ment, can any surer test of discrimination be applied than that, 
no foreign graft is ever admitted on a Gothic stock. 

Verbal distinctions of this nature require therefore serious attention, and must 
not be violated while there is any regard to chastity of style and purity of ex- 
pression. 

Radical words, like all primitive faculties, are few in number and simple ; but, 
commensurately with the progress of human attainments, their combinations 
admit of unlimited extension. It is thus in some degree with the modulations of 
music. The gamut contains only seven fundamental notes ; yet on this confined 
scale depend the whole powers of melody and harmony. Words may, therefore, 
possess all the charms of novelty in expression and sublimity of conception by 
their mere reconstruction, while the component parts are so happily connected 
with impressions already familiar to the mind, that, our ideas glide into the 



L23] 

intellectual channel which superior genius has opened for them, as if by magical 
influence. 

That, a common natural speech could exist for all mankind, is an opinion too 
absurd for comment. Herodotus, indeed, mentions the report of a trial made 
with two newly born children who were left with a she goat, excluded from all 
human society, and that their word when hungry was bek, the Phrygian for 
bread. But the experiment would prove nothing more than the imitation of the 
cry of the goat to signify their want of food. The historian should have observed 
that, in the same way Mxy.y.xv was the infantine expression for hunger ; and Bjxii, 
in his own language, a she goat, has been converted by the French into biche, 
a doe. 

In speaking here of an original language, nothing more is to be understood than 
one which has been transmitted to us from such distant and rude times, that, some 
judgment may be formed of its structure, progress and improvement. And it has 
been deemed sufficient, in general, to trace the etymons to that early stage, without 
attempting to develope entirely their formation; particularly as several valuable 
tracts relative to the origin of Greek, Latin and Gothic, already exist. On the 
latter however a few additional observations may be useful to those who are in- 
clined to study its history. 

The Gothic initial consonants were not subject to many intermutations, except 
B, M, F and V, which seem to have been used in some instances almost indis- 
criminately; such as be and ve from the verb vera, to exist, mer and ver, our we, 
mid and vid, with, and met or mit for vit, knowledge, skill, wisdom. The last of 
these has been adopted by us from Mitvif, a Midwife, the Scotch cannie wife, 
which the French have translated into sage femme. A similar mutation con- 
verted the Gothic van, vank, vant, into the Teutonic mang, French manque; and 
our wane and want have the same root. The vowels, however, were substituted 
for each other without much regard to consistency, unless where A and U being 
initials maintained greater stability. 

Among the numerous prefixes, in the Saxon dialect, be and ge had the most 
frequent use. The former was evidently the verb to be, Persian bu; and the 
latter also derived from E, with J or Y prefixed, appears to have nearly the same 
meaning with our yea, for identity. Thus the Gothic aud, ocl or ot, produced 
god, got and hot ; which are our words good and boot, profit, advantage. These 



[24] 

terms were no doubt synonymous, since the Gothic baetter and best, contracted 
from baettest, form the comparative and superlative of good ; and in the Persian 
beh, good, the final consonant, as usual with the Goths, has probably been 
omitted ; the comparative being behtur, and the superlative behtureen. The 
Goths and Teutons also used bos and bus, for boot, and hence besser for better. 
In some instances G was converted into K, as appears particularly to have been 
the case in the word Kong, Kunnug, for Gung, Gunnung, Gunfan a king : the 
root of which is Gun, the people, the army, battle. In the same way Thiod, the 
people, produced Thiodan, a king ; Drot, the people, Drottin, a dread Lord or 
Sovereign. Thus also, with the Lombards, the royal line was called Gun- 
ninge. 

The Gothic ij or double J is the origin of our letter y, and corresponds with 
the Saxon ge as used in gedown, geclad, which we pronounce ydown, yclad. 
The French and Welsh have also adopted this article y, confounding it with the 
Latin ibi. In Gothic it was synonymous with A; and we, like the Saxons, had 
formerly ydown and adown nearly in the same sense. 

The Gothic ta and ata, the Saxon to and at, seem to have been nearly the 
same word ; and we still say at dinner or to dinner ; vexed to the heart or vexed at 
the heart. They were both used as prefixes, particularly by the Saxons ; and thus 
are formed our frequentative verbs tatter, to tear ; twinkle, to wink ; twirl, to 
whirl; tattle, to tell ; troll, to roll; twit, to wite ; and the Saxon to-assett, a set 
to, a dedication, we have converted into toast, a libation. Our word toss is con- 
tracted from to-oussen, to oust or eject. 

Sk, as a Gothic prefix, like the Greek %, to which ? was frequently added, denoted 
intensity, and followed by E, to be, formed ske, Saxon scio. scian, to impel or 
force, whence our defective verb shall. Thus also sk uta was the Gothic skuta, to 
force out, to shoot ; and sk auga, to impel or attract the eye, became skygga, Saxon 
sceawian, to show. 

The vowels, being the most simple sounds, were probably first employed in 
speech, as expressive of some disposition, tendency, or procedure, winch the 
consonants served afterwards to accelerate, modify, or arrest. The Gothic A 
M, E, I, Y, very nearly resembled each other in meaning. Several of them 
were put together merely to produce greater intensity ; and thus y, as, a, sa, form 
yea so contracted into yes, which we sometimes endeavour to render still more 



[25] 

impressive by repetition. It may be noticed here that the Gothic sa corresponds 
with the Sanscrit as, our is or so. While the foregoing vowels, when prefixes, 
equally signified assent, conformity or procedure, the Gothic U, our un, like the 
Sanscrit, Persian and Greek U, was a direct negative and reversed the sense of any 
word to which it was prefixed. The Gothic ra, a row or line, denoted also straight- 
ness and Tightness. But ura, out of line, is wry; urang, has the same purport 
with our word tort, unright, crooked, wrong; and from this source we have 
wreath, wring, wrist, wrest, wrestle, wriggle, wrench, with many others. Rik is 
our rich, possessing wealth and happiness ; uriks or urick, poor, a wretch ; god 
or giaed, good, with this prefix becomes ugeed, wicked, corrupted into Belgic 
quad; roi, ru, eyru, peace; oru, ueyru, ueru, war; uman, not man, feminine; 
uvel, not well, evil, contracted into ill ; and ueast, the contrary of east, west. 

The almost invariable constructions of B, G, M and U are apparent in numerous 
compound words, of which the three following may serve as examples. The 
Gothic inn is the Latin and our preposition in, whence inna and Saxon ginna, to 
enter upon ; beginna, to begin. The same in produced min, a mine, and bin, an 
inclosure. Our words meat and bait are both from Gothic eta, to eat. A, signifying 
direct procedure, became Gothic ga, to go, uga or umga, to go obliquely, circui- 
tously, and thence buga, to curve or bend ; which is the Persian buge, our word 
bow in all its numerous acceptations. From it are derived bough, bower, bout, 
bound, bounce, bosom, buxom, book, buckle, boggle, budge, buoy, bulk, bis?, bay, 
bias, beck, bend, bight, bastard, and an endless progeny. The use of U is still more 
complicated inthe following composition. The Gothic Ua, like uga, already noticed, 
to deviate, decline or avoid, with the intensive particle sk prefixed, formed the 
Gothic skua, skaua, Danish skiaew ; and thence our skue, askew, eschew, ascaunce, 
sconce, squint, scowl, shail, shilly shally, shy, shun, scamble, sheeps' eye, skittish, 
skain, and also our naval terra sheer, oblique. The Welsh osgo and French 
esquiver have been adopted exactly in the same sense, without either root or 
branch. Sheer, when used to express sheer vice, is the Gothic skir, clear, pure, 
evident. The term sconce, at the Universities, denotes a fine for eschewance. 

The letter O partook of nothing peculiar, being sometimes substituted very 
improperly both for A and U ; but whatever might have been the particular na- 
ture of each vowel, all distinctions were lost on the introduction of potysyllables. 
The scantling they had formed for the original structure, being no longer neces- 
sary, they became in most cases mere links to connect consonants, without the 
apparent exercise of any primitive powers. Some traces of their distinct appli- 

E 



[26] 

cation are observable, however, in the tenses and moods of the Gothic verbs ; 
such as we have retained them in sing, sang, song, sung; but as A, whether it 
be article, prefix, noun or verb, has generally preserved a character of identity, 
equity, conformity, continuity, possession, a few instances of its Gothic accepta- 
tions may convey, at the same time, some notion of verbal expansion and affinity. 

A, according to Gothic authors, formed anciently the present tense of the verb 
to be, of which I a, thou a, he a, for I am, thou art, he is, was the original con- 
struction ; and from that sense perhaps all the others originate. This verb had E 
for its imperative, which afterwards became be, the Gothic ve ; and r was added to 
E, or A, in after ages, throughout the present tense, making I ar, thou ar, he ar, 
we ar, which we have adopted for the plural, and art in the second person sin- 
gular, perhaps for ar tu, thou ar. Hence also originated the Gothic verb vera, to 
be, and our were, the plural of was. Var, what is, signified real, true, and may 
have produced the Latin verus. The Gothic E and Greek "Ew have no doubt a 
common origin. 

A, was a preposition, instead of i or y, when the word following began with a 
vowel ; i Noreg, a Englandi: in Norway, in England. It produced at, ala, ta, 
our at and to, which were originally synonymous. 

A, prefixed to nouns or verbs by the Goths, is common in English ; as ado, 
above, aground : but the Germans have converted this article into an, the Saxon 
on, which is our on, when used separately. Thus, for the Gothic abordum, afotum, 
we say either aboard or on board ; afoot or on foot ; while the French adhere 
simply to abord. 

A, in terminations, marked, as with the Arabs and Persians, the infinitive of 
verbs and the quality or tendency of nouns ; but we now employ it only in 
burlesque poetry. The Teutonic and Arabic an is the same word ; and the 
Saxons, from whom we inherited a dislike to terminating vowels, use it gene- 
rally instead of a ; as glowan, for the Gothic gloa, to glow, and laetan, for leta, to 
let or concede. 

A, in the foregoing sense of continuance, was synonymous with also, or so on ; 
being the root of our conjunction and, for which the Russians and Welsh still 
use a. 

A, that which is, what continues or holds, was converted into Ha ; whence are 



[27] 

derived hand, and our verbs to hend and to have. It is cognate with the Greek 
yii and French a in avoir. 

A, either as signifying equity, or else that has, holds, or is beholden, produced 
also our verb to owe. I ought to pay, I have to pay, being synonymous with the 
Latin est mihi, it is my duty, I owe ; and thus also debeo appears to be de habeo, 
in the same way that &iu, to owe, is from yoi. Swedish hafwa, to have, signifies 
also, to owe. 

A, JE, or E, as sameness, continuance, corresponded with the Latin JE in 
eequalitas, to indicate evenness, smoothness or equity. The Saxon E and Teu- 
tonic JE, in this sense, express law, right, justice. 

AA, as a repetition of sameness or extension, was also a body of water. In 
Swedish it is converted into ae, the Danish aa, by which sae, like the Latin aequor, 
denoted any smooth expanse, a plain, or lake ; Islandic aer, Saxon aer, Gothic 
maer, the sea ; and from the Gothic aar, Islandic aa, a river, we have got aar, air, 
arun, arrow ; as also with the Gothic article J prefixed, yar, yare, yarrow ; by 
which yar is the or y Aar, Persian Jar, Jarur, a river. 

A JE, or JE, Saxon AAA, corresponds with the preceding article ; but con- 
veys, by encreased repetition, the idea of infinite extent, endurance, or continuance, 
and hence our aye, the Greek 'Ae», eternity. To these modifications of the vowel 
itself may be added some of its most obvious combinations. 

Ad, aud, od, from Gothic A, to have, was wealth, power, possession ; whence 
odal or all od, Scotch udal, allodial, full possession ;fe-od,fe-odal, tenure by fee or 
service. The Saxons pronounced this word ead, and ne-ead became their nead, 
without means, our need. Allaud has been contracted into French leude, seignorial. 

Aith, from the Gothic A, Saxon JE, Teutonic E, law or right, produced ed, 
eith, Saxon ath, Teutonic eid, an oath, meaning strictly a legal assertion. The 
Latin juro, in the same way, was originally from jus, right, equity. Thus also 
the Gothic lag, what is laid down, a deposition, signified law and an oath. From 
ed the Goths formed ved or wad and the Saxons ewd, a formal contract or pledge ; 
whence the Latin vadium and our wed, wager, wages, vassal. The Saxon ge 
ewd, Scotch gud, we seem to have adopted in God-father. God-brothers were 
anciently contracted or sworn brothers, and gud-man in Scotch is a wedded man. 



[28] 

The Gauls changing w into g, as usual, converted wage into gage and our en- 
gagement is a contract. 

Aihan, the Saxon agen, ahan, to own or possess, was either the junction of A 
with ha, han, ^tiv, that has; or Gothic eiga, formed from the pronoun eg or ey, me, 
and corresponding with the Greek t or ex, personal property. Our verb to own 
or confess is the Teutonic iahen or beyahen, literally to yea, ayan, to say ay, to ac- 
knowledge ; and the Latins possibly adopted the Gothic a ja, or gea, to form ajo, 
anciently ego, to yea ; nego, to deny. The Gothic J being synonymous with A, 
identity, sameness/. expressed -as in old English, both assent and individuality. 
When used, however, as a personal pronoun, it must have required to be accompa- 
nied by some sign indicating s41f, before time had rendered the sense unequivocal. 

Am or em, the first "plfsoh of the present tense in the verb to be, anciently A, 
probably assumed the final m for me, like the Sanscrit Asmi, I am ; although it 
may be connected with aem, a variation of aeve, which is to be noticed hereafter. 
The wfH^js common to many dialects ; Persj^ am or urn, Saxon am, Armoric 
oum, Greek E»/*l ; and the Latin verb sum is probably the Gothic so am. 

Ar or ser, xgxps, the beginning, appears to be from A or JE, duration, prefixed 
to ra, a row, line, limit, division ; which is the Greek w'f*, and Latin hora, time. 
The Gothic ar is also our year, Swedish eer time, age, aera ; and var, first of the 
year, Greek *Exg and *Hg> , Brig, Spring, corresponding with the Sanscrit var, day 
or dawn, produced the Latin ver. From aer we have early, and or, (J or, 
yore, primitive,) soon ; ere, Saxon orer, sooner ; the superlative of which, erst, or 
of erst, is first. Or is also the root of our morrow and morning. The Teutonic 
dauren, Latin duro, for de hora, are from the same source with A»«^«, Arabic 
duhr, time. 

iEfi or aeve, is constructed from a a, or se, Greek 'Ah, prefixed to the Gothic ve or 
be, to be or endure ; as if we said aye be, instead of ever, which is the Saxon aefer. 

Ave has A or M, equality, sameness, identity, united to ve of the preceding ar- 
ticle ; and means, from its component parts, being so, or the same ; and thence 
even or equal. The Gothic variations of this word are aef, aem, am, ef, emn, evn ; 
and with the article J prefixed, igef, iafn, ibn, if, iv, while the Saxons have am, em, 
im, efn ; all of which concur in the same general meaning with our if and even ; 
only that those without the article prefixed, are more particularly applied for if, 



[29] 

Sanscrit api, Chaldean aph, Persian ehm, so, if, equal ; and am, perhaps the first 
person of our verb to be. Same in Gothic, formed from am, we also use with little 
variation of sense. The Saxons adopted iaef, iaefn, as their gif, gifan, gifwen, 
which the Scotch have contracted into gin, saying also dif for the if; and with us, 
yef, for yea if, and zif, so if, were common about the time of Mandeville. As our 
ideas acquire precision such useless repetitions of particles are exploded : but even 
now, among the illiterate citizens and peasants, they are studiously strung toge- 
ther in the antique pleonasm of phraseology " an if, so be, as how," when if, alone, 
would be more distinct, at least in modern acceptance. 

Compound words for assent, similar to our ay or yea, are common to all Euro- 
pean languages, and, like the Latin etiam or ita, Greek "Ovru, mean in their primi- 
tive sense, even so, or the same. The Moeso-Gothic ibn is our even, and ibe, the 
Teutonic eb, our yea be, or if. The Armoric and Welsh je pe, having precisely 
the same composition and meaning with the Gothic, is frequently written efe, for 
which pe alone was also used ; and the Gothic eija, ey, Greek 'E», correspond 
with if or so ; as we now say, " if he gives me the value," or " so he gives me 
the value." In Belgic zo niet, is the usual expression for if not. This construc- 
tion of the word is very general; for the Greek E«, has the same relation to 'E»y», 
that the Latin si has with sum, or the Gothic and Welsh ef, ibe, efe, epe, to their 
verbs ve, be, and pe. Our exclamation ay ay, is the Gothic ey, ey, or ai ai, so, so. 
The Gothic efa, ifa, iafa, ivan, formed from if, equality, sameness, signified to 
doubt. With us ifs and ans, also implied hesitation, from the real or pretended 
difficulty t)f discovering a preponderance of circumstances on either side. The 
Greek Aot*, Latin dubium, two ways, and the Gothic tuifal, Teutonic zweifal, two 
cases, must have involved a supposition that their parity of condition was such, as 
to produce that indecision in the mind which is called doubt. 

These etynfons have been the more closely examined, because our conjunction 
if, is asserted under high authority to be an oblique application of the imperative of 
the verb to give. But Home Tooke had not observed that in the Teutonic it is 
ob, eb, in Belgic of, Danish and Swedish om, corresponding exactly with the 
Gothic ef, aef, aem, none of which can with any probability be derived from give. 
Their composition, however, has some affinity with the latter word, so far as re- 
lates to the Gothic ia or gia, Saxon gea, our yea, which converted into a verb of 
assent became gean, to own, to admit. The Goths probably added to gia their 
word fa, Saxon fon, Danish fae, to possess, in forming giafa, to bestow ; especially 
as fae, without any prefix, signifies to give. 



[30] 

The article an, in the obsolete phrase, an if, which signifies so even, has been 
supposed to be the imperative of the Saxon anan, to concede; but that verb is a 
corruption of the Gothic, Swedish, and Saxon unna, to please, cherish, love or 
coax, which produced the Gothic ynde, and ge ynde, endearing, amiable, our 
word kind, and boon, a grace. The Gothic enn, or aen, then, so being, men, 
indeed, as well as the Teutonic an, ean, from the Gothic A, to be, is used exactly 
in the sense of the Arabic en, the Greek *Av, or 'Eat*, if, derived from"Ew. 

The sagacity of Mr. Tooke, however, suggested the real meaning of our prepo- 
sitionybr, although he did not find the etymon. The Gothic ar, Teutonic or, ur, 
Saxon or, ord, the beginning, (which produced fore, prior) also signified the 
origin, first motive or purpose, and formed part of the Swedish orsak, Teutonic 
ursach, the cause or beginning of a thing. From or and for, predisposition, 
destiny, the Goths had their orlog and forlog, law of fate, fatality. In some of 
our northern districts, ur is still used instead of/or ; and in the Gothic dialects 
for and fore have been confounded in orthography. 

The Gothic ut, Saxon ut, ot, Belgic uit, our out, becomes but, for be out, 
implying chiefly, put out, excepted, put out, excluded, and put out extended. 
We use it also as the French do mats, the Latin magis, and the Belgic mar, 
moreover. Out, in this sense, enters into our verbs outgo, outbid, outlive ; we 
also say out and out, completely ; and in all the Gothic dialects it is used exactly 
like our but. Both have the same meaning with the Latin e, ex, extra, extraneous ; 
from which we have stranger, apparently translated from the Gothic butaner, a 
foreigner. Extra, beyond, additional, further, beside, corresponds with but, 
unless where it was formerly ne but, not more, only. Forth and further are con- 
tracted from fore out and fore outer: unless is from utan less, leave out. But has 
no connexion whatever withboot, which never denoted any thing more than good, 
benefit, reparation. The Gothic B6ta and Botra signify to better, to mend. 

Exclusively of what has been noticed, out may be traced into many words with 
various shades of meaning ; such as odd, utter, wide, quit, quite, (utterly) oust, 
joust, jostle, hustle, bustle, jut, put or butt, push, beetle, (to project) bud, 
button, boss, bother, (to put out) butterfly, with endless prefixes and postfixes. 
The French but is our butt, an extreme object, and bout, our butt, the outer part, 
the end. 



[31] 

The Gothic I or In, the contrary of out, has also many derivatives. Our Inn, a 
house of reception ; mine, an entrance ; mouth, contracted from munth, an orifice ; 
muns, mien, a countenance, in the sense of Latin os ; Gothic minna, to kiss ; 
money, coin with a face ; mint, coinage ; to mean, to perceive internally ; mind, 
intellect, and bin, pen, pound, an inclosure, have all the same root. The Scotch 
ben, is an inner, while but is an outer apartment. Our by is the Gothic be j, being 
in, at or beside ; and the Persian bu Khoda is our by God. 

The preposition with appears to comprehend the two foregoing etymons. The 
Swedish uti, nthi is out in, and utan, out from. The Saxon with and Belgic uit 
have the same meaning as our with and also out of, when we say say out of malice, 
for the French par malice ; the Saxon with tha $<b is translated into Latin e re- 
gione maris. The Gothic vid, and Saxon with became mid, med, mith, by the 
usual mutation of v into m, unless when employed as med, Met, a mean or medium, 
to be noticed hereafter. The Gothic vid, vidur, Saxon with, wither, signified 
together, opposite, against. In the first sense the Mceso Gothic ga withan is to 
join, and gay -withran, to gather ; but the Gothic vidur, against, was contracted 
into ver, vor,for, which, like our with, was an adverse prefix ; and hence Saxon 
forbeodan, Teutonic verbieten our forbid ; Gothic vidhalta, Teutonic verhalten, ve- 
derhalten, Saxon for healdan, to withhold. To meet and to moot, to assemble and 
to encounter, have the same formation. 

To these suggestions, on a very intricate subject, may be added the Gothic, mi, 
mid, med, perhaps from the Gothic 7, at, in, or between. They corresponded 
with the Latin medius, and medium, a mean, a half; and besides denoted a 
division and a particle, a mite or mote : whence Gothic meida, meisa, Latin meto, 
to cut, divide, mow, mutilate. Compounded with dal, dail, a share, it produced 
the Gothic medal, the mid deal or middle. Mid, Med, with the Gothic la (from 
laga, to lay or place) became, midla, Swedish media, to put between, to intervene, 
divide, diminish, reduce into portions, interfere ; and also to meddle, in the sense 
of Mflre'w. Media was contracted into mella, which produced the Gothic mal, mel, 
Swedish mkl, Saxon mal, med, Teutonic mal, mahl, applied in different ways, but 
invariably denoting intervention or division. Mal was thus a portion of speech, a 
word, a harangue, a notice, a cause or action at law, a division of time or space, an 
interstice, a fragment, a crumb, a spot, speck, painting, delineation, writing 
mark, sign, a piece of ground set apart or inclosed, a fixed hour for eating, a 



[32] 

moiety of the produce of the soil as rent, a convention, a contribution, salary, 
measure boundary. Our meal, time of eating ; meal, grain reduced to particles, 
small ; mold, dust ; mole, a spot on the skin ; mall, a public walk, the boundary of 
a town ; Scotch mail, rent ; and finally, from the Gothic mals, a fixed period for 
contribution, which has the same root with Teutonic mas, measure, we have 
Lammas and Christmas ; although the word has been generally confounded with 
Mass, a religious ceremony. Our medley, things intermingled, is the Gothic 
medal, which contracted into mille, Swedish mellan is our mell, a mixture ; and 
the Gothic imille, Swedish imellan, in the midst, among, Chaucer writes ymell. 
Thus Swedish mala, mata, to measure ; Saxon mal, mathl, methel, speech ; Scotch 
mail, matt, mete, to paint, are from one common root. 

Swedish medel, Teutonic mittel, the middle, was a mean, medium, mode, re- 
medy, and also a medicine ; which, in like manner, is derived from the Latin me- 
dium, remedium. Ms^/w, Latin metior, Gothic meta, Saxon meethian, Mceso- 
Gothic maitan, to divide, measure, mete, have the same origin ; and lslandic myde, 
Saxon mythe, Scotch meith, meid, a division, boundary, mark, portion, measure, 
is cognate with the Latin meta. In the same sense we have mite, a small coin, 
Belgic myte, Teutonic meit, meid, medal, a piece of money, a medal, and also a 
meed, the Saxon med, hire, reward. Our meet, fit, proper, decent, is the Gothic 
miot, meet, Saxon mate, mete, Teutonic mas, in measure, regular, orderly, 
becoming. Such were the modulations and contractions by which "winged 
words" were produced in language. 

Had any rules for orthography existed in very ancient times, infinitely fewer 
thorns would have been encountered on the path of the weary etymologist: but 
spelling was so arbitrary in the days of our celebrated Shakespear, that, he varied 
it several times in writing his own name ; and in France the evil was not remedied 
till after the middle of the last century. 

The exact period of the first introduction of letters into Europe cannot be ascer- 
tained ; but, no doubt, their progress must have been gradual and almost imper- 
ceptible. The attempt to represent things by signs of outward resemblance, so 
natural to the perceptions of an infant age, had probably long obtained among all 
nations. But that expedient, incapable from its nature of much improvement, 
tended so completely to mislead the mind, that, the invention of an alphabet ap- 
pears like a miracle. Although some representations by figures were at first 



[83] 

simple objects of convenience, in the common intercourse of mankind, yet every 
where, as with Egyptians and Goths, they must have been employed more exten- 
sively in the mystical ceremonies of superstition ; and therefore they were known 
as hieroglyphics or runes, both of which denote sacred inscriptions. 

The most ancient and general practice of divination or incantation, consisted in 
scattering ritually a parcel of rods, and predicting events from the appearances 
they exhibited on the ground. Runn, in Gothic, is a bunch of twigs or branches, 
and the mountain ash, or wild sorbus, which so long maintained its superstitious 
reputation in Scotland, was there and in Denmark called run or rountree. White 
beam, our name for that tree, has the same import, from the Gothic, Saxon, and 
Danish weight, holy, sacred, in allusion to its use in rabdomancy ; and with us it 
enters into the composition of many words, such as Whitsunday, Whitchurch, 
Whitby, and the isle of Wight. The Irish fiodah, shrubs, is also the name for 
letters, each of which is said to express some particular wood. The Celtic 
druids, Welsh derwiddon, may have been so called from trees, according to the 
original meaning of Sfe, Russian dm, Welsh derw ; and Apsrfu, like the Gothic 
trio, deru or dreu wita, signifies to prophecy or enchant by trees. The Goths 
seem to have used rada runer and rada risur in the same sense, because risur was 
the plural of rod. But, whether from that ceremony, or not, the Gothic run, Irish 
run, Welch ryn, had the meaning of mystery, religion, sorcery ; and from rune we 
have the obsolete word aroynt, to be exorcised. The Gothic allrun, T. alraun, 
was the herb mandrake, used in sorcery. The Gothic staff, was added to run, in 
forming the verb runstafa, to divine or enchant by sticks, in the same way that the 
Chaldeans and ancient Persians employed arrows, which their letters resemble ; and 
runa, Welsh rhon, was also a dart. Thence probably originated the Ephesian 
letters, which, as Suidas reports, rendered one of the athletae invincible at the Olym- 
pian games. Performers in this mystical art, like the priests of Egypt, would natu- 
rally be desirous of preserving the remembrance of their successful predictions ; and 
the fantastic lines, copied on aleafor stone, were the first runes. When the wonder- 
ful device of signs for sounds was introduced, many of the former figures, familiar 
to the hand and eye, were probably adopted for alphabetical characters ; which con- 
tinue to be called book staff or buchstaf, in Germany, and buch stave in Denmark. 

The origin of Arithmetic has been unanimously attributed to the fingers. The 
Gothic teiga, tiga, to extend, ascend, appears to have produced tiga, tein, the 
number ten ; although the word might be corrupted from tuig or tuea, our twain, 

F 



[ 34 ] 

meaning twice five, as the Gothic taihun, ten, taihund, tenth, approach so nearly 
to tua haund, two hands ; which would naturally produce decimal numeration. 
But the Welsh, like the Jalofs and Foulas, confined themselves to one hand for 
five or the whole ; and, instead of sixteen, seventeen, they now say fifteen one, fif- 
teen two, although they count to ten as we do. Something similar is indicated in 
Greek, by the apparent affinity of UsIvtk the whole, and Uturs five. In Persian 
panja is the hand and panj five. 

Haund or its plural haunder, the hands, has great resemblance to hundra, 
which originally may have signified ten ; corresponding with the Latin centum in 
viginti and triginti, for tri centi ; although it afterwards denoted a hundred or five 
score. The Gothic teija or tegas hund, ten hundred, is our thousand. Hand was 
from Gothic Ha or Han, xoivSouu, to have or hold ; the Greek 'Ehxtov, was any 
gross quantity, as well as ten times ten ; and the Gothic katt or kant, corresponds 
with the Arabic kata, a division, the Latin centum and Greek Kovra, as in 
'OySowovrci, the Armoric and Welsh cant, a piece, circle, canton, kantrad or hun- 
dred. The two last have the addition of the Gothic ra or rad, a limit, number, 
order or demarcation. 

We may suppose that a circular or quadrangular figure would naturally be used 
to designate what is called around sum or square quantity. Thus 



o 




might be ten, one hundred, and a thousand. In our present arithmetical signs O 
has much of that effect ; but, if any one of the three were described separately by 
such a figure, something must have been added to indicate its relative proportion. 
The Greeks had their great and small O. The Latins having reversed the CO 
into GO, or transformed CID into M, would find that letter sufficient to express one 
thousand without annexing the larger circle. The smaller O had C, for centum, 



[35] 




Lurov or Kxvrov, as its distinctive sign, which in the same way 
denoted afterward one hundred. With the Greeks, however, 
O mega contained only eight hundred, like the eettrad, four 
score or literally eight portions, of the Goths ; because they 
could obtain no further regular subdivisions of the circle with- 
out producing great excess ; and according to Mungo Park, 
with some nations in the centre of Africa, the hundred is only 
four score. When thus graduated, two additional lines were required to correspond 
with the digital or decimal system and complete the true hundred and thousand ; 
then each X in the circle being a tenth part of the whole, 
became numerically ten ; and the half of X is v or five. The 
M, or great circle, when equally divided, CD, was twice the 
letter D; which like the ''Greek $, is therefore half a thou- 
sand or five hundred. The square hundred seems to have 
been intersected diagonally, [3 of which L, being one half, 
was of course fifty, and all the regular subdivision of squares 
are hence denominated quadrangulars or quarters. The Greek x , like the Latin 
and Chinese X, was ten, as in y\«Zp 5 an d for yl^a. or % e£\», ten times ten numbers, 
the Latins substituted M, bAh or mille, one thousand. The Greek B stood for two, 
and thus /3 & , $ wo;, became bis and binus. It may not be impertinent to observe 
also that, the Greek A/rpa is weight or measure, the Latin litera, a letter ; and, as 
the Osce frequently converted the Greek t into p or b, the connection between the 
Latin liber, a book, and libra, from Anpx, is remarkable. 










Under these circumstances the learned will decide how far the suggestion be 
admissible, that, many figures, now alphabetical, may have long been employed 
for numeral or mathematical purposes, before they were adopted to denote vocal 
sounds. 



London: printed by W. BuJmer and Co. 
Cleveland-row, St. James's. 



ETYMONS 



ENGLISH WORDS. 



BY JOHN THOMSON, M. A. S. 

AND LATE PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS, 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA. 



LONDON: 

JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. 

1819- 



London s Printed by W. Bulmer and Co; 
Cleveland-Row, St, James's. 



PREFACE. 



1 he following attempt to trace the descent of English words, which begin with 
the letter M, is submitted to public judgment, with a view to ascertain, by an 
abridged sample, whether the author would be justified in committing the entire 
work to the press. He has endeavoured to show the connexion between our own 
and some other tongues, both of Europe and Asia, without introducing any remarks 
where the general meaning was evident. The Gothic words, from five dialects of 
that language, are inserted, as concurrent etymons ; to which the Russian and Irish 
vocabularies, at least in the proportion of one third part, bear evident affinity, either 
by cognation or adoption ; although so much disguised, by a different orthography, 
that they could not be usefully added without explanations too diffuse for the 
present object. The plan, as the reader will observe, is studiously concise; being 
obviously intended rather as an Index than a Glossary. The cursory observer will 
find it sufficient for his purpose ; and those who are inclined to deeper research 
must apply to the under-mentioned sources of information. 

The Index of Vereleus contains nearly all the Gothic roots employed in English ; 
and a new edition of that valuable record, with improved arrangement, is now in 
preparation. The Glossaries of Ihre, of Schertz and Oberlin, the Thesaurus of 
Hickes, and the Dictionary of Lye, exhibit the variations that occur in the Swedish, 
Teutonic, Moeso- Gothic and Anglo-Saxon dialects ; and to them the inquisitive 
reader must have reference. He will do well to consult also the Scottish Etymo- 
logy of Dr. Jamieson. 

The contractions employed to indicate different languages are to be understood 
thus : 



A. Arabic. 
Arm. Armoric. 

B. Belgic. 
Chald. Chaldaic. 
D. Danish. 

F. French. 

G. Gothic. 
Heb. Hebrew. 



Hind. Hindoostanee. 

I. Irish. 

Isl. Islandic. 

It. Italian. 

L. Latin. 

O.E. Old English. 

P. Persian. 

Port. Portuguese. 



Russ. Russian. 
Sans. Sanscrit. 
S. Saxon. 
Scot. Scotch. 
Sp. Spanish. 
Swed. Swedish. 
T. Teutonic. 
Turk. Turkish. 
W. Welsh. 



ERRATA IN THE VOCABULARY 

butcher, see Mo NGEK . "* detai1 ' Swed " ^ttmanglare, a retail- 

MEW, a coop, or ca ff e. I nstead o{ pvohMy ^ 
MULE; HlM &* t . ' 

MyTHOLO Gy;waren(lyfrom ^ (s;in( ,J_ ^ 



M. 



JV1 » has, in English, an unvaried sound by 
compression of the lips, as mine, tame, camp ; 
and it is never mute. In the Celtic dialects M, 
B, F, V, were subject to general intermutations. 
The Goths also substituted M for V frequently ; 
and thus the Latin verus and merus appear to 
have been originally the same word. M, or 
Me, appears to have had nearly the same for- 
mation, meaning and use, in Gothic, with the 
prefixes be, ve and ge, to denote adaptation or 
intensity. Thus from eat we have meat and bait, 
food : the Gothic auk, eyk, increase, our eke, 
seems in this way to have produced our much 
and mickle: and the Gothic inna, to enter, 
served to form the word mine, a subterraneous 
entrance, mien, a mouth, a countenance, and mire*, 
money. Malt, was from ealoth, ale. 

MAB, s. A name given to the Queen of the 
Fairies. Heb. W. and Arm. mab, a child or any 
small animal ; I. baeib, badhbh, maeib, a fairy. 
G. vif, veib, a woman, may have been pronoun- 
ced meib, by the usual mutation of v into m • and 
alf veib, a female elf, was a fairy. 

MAC, s. A son. G. maug, T. mag, mac, S.mag,I. 
mac, W. maccwy, Malabar magun, a son, a male 
child j G. may, magd, a daughter, a maid j mxg, 
a relation. G. magi, was also an embryo ; whence 
S. magth, a progeny, race, tribe. The Medes, 
S. mcethas, mcegethas, the Mattiaci, of Germany 
and England, appear to have had their names 
from this extensive root ; see Man. 

MACARONI, s. 1. A kind of pastry, ^afi^ror. 
It. maccarone, Heb. mahha, Arm. macha, dough, 
paste. 
2. An affected, illiterate person, who speaks a 



vulgar dialect, such as was used by Mertino 
Cocca, in a burlesque poem on pastry, called 
Macaronia. 

MACAROON, s. F. maccaron, a kind of biscuit 
made of flour, almonds, eggs and butter; see 
Macaroni. 

MACAW, *. The name of a species of cockatoon, 
and also of a tree brought to the West Indies 
from Macao. 

MACE, s. 1 . A heavy blunt weapon, a club of 
metal, borne before magistrates as an ensign 
of authority; see Staff. M^k, L. massa, Sp. 
maza, It. mazza, F. massue, S. mace. 
2. The inner rind that covers the nutmeg. Sans, 
and P. bazh, li.macis, F.macis, It. mads. 

MACERATE, v. a. To steep, to soak, infuse, 
make lean. L. macero. 

MACHINE, s. An engine, coach, vehicle. t**x*'*- 
L. machina, F. machine. 

MACKAREL, or Mackerel,*. 1. A sea fish flaked 
with different colours. L. macularia, from ma- 
cula, a spot, F. maquereau, T. mackarell. 
2. A bawd. F. maquerelle, from L. moechor, to 
commit adultery. 

MACKAREL-GALE. Abrisk wind, duringwhich 
mackarel are readily taken ; a term with fisher- 
men. 

MACROCOSM, _s. The world, the universe. 
F. macrocosme, from fiMx^os and xooynos. 

MACTATION, s. The act of killing beasts for 
sacrifice. L. mactatio, from Ova. 

MACULA, Maculation, s. Spot, stain, pollution. 
L. macula. G. mal, T. mahl, makl, a speck, a 
stain, appears to be the original word. 

MAD, s. A worm. G. madka, maaka, D. madike, 
B 



MAG 



MAI 



B.made, T. made, M. G. matha. This name, as 
well as moth, seems to be formed from G. 
meida, to divide, cut, and signifies an insect. It 
was applied to an earth-worm, and to a mite. 

MAD, ok Disordered in mind, enraged, furious. 
M. G. mod, S. maad, gemaad, angry, enraged, 
confounded with G. oed, S. vod; see Wood. 

MADAM, s. An address paid to a gentlewoman, 
a title. F. madame, It. madonna, from L. mea 
domina. 

MAD-CAP ; from mad, and cap, the head ; see 
Cap. 

MADDER, s. A plant much used in dying. Arm. 
madre, T. maddar, S. maddre, B. meed. G. 
meid is wood 5 see Woodboof. 

MADE, pret. and part, of the verb to make ,- it is 
contracted from maked. 

MADEFY, Madidate, v. a. To wet, to moisten. 

. \j. madefacio. 

MADGE, Howlet, *. The white owl. T. mitz, 
miats, It. micio, a cat, Scot, mewt, F. machette, 
from its mewing cry ; called also the cat owl. 

MADRIGAL, s. A kind of pastoral song. F. ma- 
drigal, It. mandriale, from /*«»Jga, L. mandra, 
a stall for cattle, a fold ; to which gal, a song, 
has been added to form our word : see Gale. 

MAERE, a. Famous, renowned, celebrated, noble. 
Sans, ma ha, V.mih, Chald. mar, G.meir,mar, 
T. mere, S. mer, mare, Swed. mar, W. maur, 
I. mor, great. It formed a part of many cele- 
brated names, such as Chlodomer, Mar comer, Me- 
rovicus. The Gothic mar, S. mar, may some- 
times be formed from atdra, ara, S. are, honor; 
whence aladra, honourable, worshipful; see 
Alderman. 

MAFFLE, v. n. To stammer, stutter, hesitate. 
F. moufler, from mowe,the mouth; see Muffle. 

MAGAZINE, s. A store-house, armory, reposi- 
tory. A. makhzan, F. magazin. 

MAGGOT, s. A small worm, grub, embryo, 
fancy. G. madka, maaka, Swed. matk, D. ma- 
dike, B. maai, S. mogthe, W. mageod, Scot. 



mawk, O. E. mough, a worm ; see Mad and 
Moth. The B. bolworm, and F. ver coquin, are 
both used metaphorically, like maggot with us, 
to denote whim or caprice. 

MAGE, $. A magician, one of the Magi. ~P.ma.jus, 
mugh, f^aiyoi, L. magus, a follower of Zoroaster, 
a worshipper of fire; see Mitre. 

MAGI, 5. Wise men, Persian philosophers; see 
Mage. 

MAGISTRATE, s. One vested with public autho- 
rity. L. magistratus, It. magistrato, F. magistrat. 

MAGNESIA, s. A white powder, very gentle 
purgative. Ma/vno-ia, the name of the country 
where it was found. 

MAGNET, s. A stone that attracts iron, iron ore, 
steel, //.a-ymla?, L. magnes, from Magnesia, where 
it was first known. 

MAGNIFY, v. To make great, extol, praise. L. 
magnifico. 

MAGPIE, s. A black and white bird, easily taught 
to pronounce words ; Met. a talkative person. 
Li. maculosa pica. It was formerly magat pie, 
L. maculata pica. 

MAHOMET. A man's name. A. Muhammad, the 
praised. 

MAID, s. A virgin, a female servant. Sans. 
moogdha, P. made, madeen, Heb. amath, G. 
may, may, mar,meijd, S. mai, mcegd, B. magd, 
meid, T. magd, a daughter, the feminine of 
mac or mag, a son. From the same root we 
have Meg, Madge, Margery, Molly, women's 
names. Maiden, like lady, signified the Holy 
Virgin, when forming the names of plants and 
insects. 

MAIDENHEAD, Maidenhood, s. Virginity; 
from maid, and head or hood, state, condition. 

MAIDMARIAN, s. A name given originally to 
a female who represented the Queen of May, 
perhaps a corruption of the F. Mai reine ; but, 
it now signifies a man dressed like a woman 
who plays tricks at morris dances, and may 
be /Awgov, L. morion, a buffoon. 



MAI 



MAL 



MAJESTY, s. Grandeur, dignity, power, sove- 
reignty, elevation, a royal title. L. majestas, 
from i*.iya.<;, great. 

MAIL, s. J . Armour, properly of iron net work. 
L. macula, F. maille, It. maglia, which seem to 
be formed from G. mal, T. mahl, Swed. malja, 
a division, a link ; see Mesh. 
2. A letter bag. B. maal, T. malhe, F. male, Sp. 
mala, L. B. mala, perhaps from M0A70?, or G. 
male, a knapsack ; see Wallet and Budget. 

MAIM, s. A privation of some essential part, 
lameness, a hurt, defect. G.mai, from maitan, 
to mutilate, and vam, defect, may have been 
used to form our word. Arm. mehaina, I.mai- 
dham have the same signification j G. vam, de- 
fect, was also pronounced mam, which in O. F. 
was maimis. 

MAIN, a, 1. Great, chief, principal. F. magne, 
L. magnus, /*iy«?. 

2. Powerful, mighty, forcible. G. megin, S. mage, 
megende, from G. meiga, to have power, to be 
able ; see May and Might. 

MAIN, s. 1 . The gross, the chief part, sum total ; 
see the adjective. 

2. Power, might, strength, force, continuity, the 
ocean, the continent. G. megn, magn, marine, 
S. megne, mcegn, T. megin ; G. megin land, the 
main land, megin see, the ocean. 

3. The chief point on which a game or match 
depends. The player at hazard names the main 
or point against the chances. 

4. A channel, duct or conduit: from Swed. mana, 
T. menen, F. mener, to conduct, lead. 

MAINPERNABLE. Bailable,- for mainprena- 
ble, from Mainprize. 

MAINPRIZE, 5. A deliverance on bail. F. main 
prise, from L. manu prehensio. It means the de- 
livery of a person arrested, into the hands of a 
friend, who is security for his reappearance 
when required for trial. 

MAINTAIN, v. To support, uphold, keep. F. 



maintainer, It. mantenere, Sp. mantener, from 
L. manu tenere. 

MAJOR, a. Greater, elder, senior, chief. L. major; 
see MjEre. 

MAJOR, s. A senior officer in the Army; a term 
in logic signifying the chief proposition 5 from 
the adj. 

MAIZE, s. Indian wheat. The name by which it 
is known to the natives of Brazil and Cuba, 
whence it was brought into Europe. 

MAKE, s. Form, structure, disposition ; from 
the verb. 

MAKE, v. To form, create, produce, conduce, 
force. Swed. maka, T. machen, S. macian, B. 
maken, from G. meiga to have power or effi- 
ciency. 

MAKE, s. A companion, husband, wife, a fellow, 
a second in command. G. make, Swed. make, 
S. maca, gemaca ; D. mage, from G. mag, a re- 
lation, a connexion 3 see Mate. 

MAL or MALE. As a prefix, signifies evil. L. 
male, F. mal. 

MAL. In forming the names of towns, signifies 
a convention of the people for judiciary or 
other purposes ; as Maldon, Moling, Melton, G. 
mal, mel, Swed. mal, a regular fixed time, or 
place ; see Meal. 

MALADY, s. A disease, distemper, sickness. F. 
maladie, from L. male; see Bale. 

MALAPERT, a. Saucy, impudent; probably from 
mal and pert. 

MALAXATE, v. a. To knead to softness. Ma- 

MALE, a. Of the sex that begets young. L. mas- 

culus, F. masle, mdle. 
MALE, s. A he, the he of any species ; see the 

adj. 
MALKIN, Maulkin, s. A mop, a scarecrow. 

G. moll, moal, S. mal, Swed. mull, B. mul, 

cinders, ashes. Malkin, perhaps for mal quen, 

a cinder wench. 



MAN 



MAN 



MALL, v. a. To beat, to strike with a mall f from 

the noun. 
MALL, s. 1 . A wooden hammer, L. malleus, F. 

mail. 

2. A level ground for playing bat and ball : see 
Pall Mall. 

3. A public walk or promenade. G. mal, Swed. 
mkl, a limit, a place set apart or inclosed, the 
boundary of a town. 

MALLARD, s. The male of the wild duck. F. 
malart, from male. 

MALLEABLE, a. Extendible by hammering. F. 
malleable, from L. malleus, a hammer. 

MALLET, s. A little hammer, diminutive of mall. 

MALLOWS, s. An herb. Mcchdxn, L. malva. 

MALMSEY, s. A kind of sweet wine, from the 
Greek, now Turkish, island Malvasia. It. mal- 
voisia. The name is given to other sweet 
wines. 

MALT, s. Barley prepared for brewing. Swed. 
malt, S. mealt, T. maltz, B. mout, from Ale. 

MALT-HORSE, s. A term of reproach, a mean 
fellow. L. mutilus, was corrupted into F. moult, 
W. mollt, castrated, from which we have our 
word mutton j and horse, consistently with the 
other terms used, at the same time, by Shake- 
spear, might have been pronounced broadly 
without the aspirate. 

MAM, Mamma, s. A fond word for mother. A. 
mam, Heb. mam, P. mama, ^oc^^x, L. mamma. 

MAMMET, s. A puppet, a dressed- up figure. Arm. 
and W. mab maeth, a nursling ; see Moppet and 
Mab. 

MAMMOC, s. A shapeless piece. Sp. machemiga, 
a fragment, from machar, It. maccare, to pound 
or mash. 

MAN, s. A human being, male of the human 
species, one arrived at manhood, an individual. 
Sans, manus, G. man, S. man, Arm. man, a 
person, a human being, male or female : G. man, 
Swed. man, S. mon, T. mann, B. man, M. G. 



manna, I. mo, a. male person. G.madr, magdr, S. 
math, mceg, had the same signification ; and all 
seem to be derived from G. maga ; to acquire, 
beget, effect, S. mahn, D. maa, Swed. formk, 
power, ability, efficiency. G. ho, is the mas- 
culine pronoun, our He, which prefixed to ma or 
mo, may have formed the L. homo. Our may, 
might, main, make, mac, maid, are all cognates ; 
and G. manne, magn, strength, was the S. 
mun, mund, efficiency ; which also signified the 
hand, in the same way that L. manus implied 
power and management. The L. munio, to for- 
tify, appears to have had the same origin ; and 
our Man of War is an armed machine, which is 
also of the feminine gender. 

MAN, v a. 1 . To furnish with men. 

2. To fortify or strengthen j from the noun. 

MANAGE, v. a. To conduct, govern, train. M. G. 
manugan, S. mangian, signify to conduct busi- 
ness, to negociate, to enter into details. But our 
word^is from L. manu agere, F. menager, 
Spfmanejar, It. maneggiare, to handle, to take 
in hand. 

MANATEE, s. A fish called the sea cow. Sp. 
manato, L. B. manatus ; from its having fins 
like hands ; see Lamentine. 

MANATION, s. Distillation, a gentle flow. L. 
mano, to flow. 

MANCHE, s. A sleeve. L. manica, F. manche. 

MANCHET, s. A small loaf of fine bread. F. 
michet, from L. mica. 

MANCHINEEL, s. A tree in theWest Indies which 
bears a poisonous fruit. Sp. manzanilla, the 
little apple. 

MANCIPATE, v. a. To bind, tie, enslave. L. 
mancipo. 

MANDAMUS, s. A kind of writ. L. we give 
orders. 

MANDARIN, s. A name given by the Portuguese 
to a Chinese commander or magistrate ; from 
L. mandate. 



MAN 



MAN 



MANDATE, 5. A command, order, charge, com- 
mission, li.mandatum. 

MANDIBLE, s. The jaw. L. mandibula. 

MANDILION. A loose coat. F. mandille, It. 
mandiglione, diminutive Of mantle. 

MANDRAKE, s. A somniferous plant. Mxv- 
fyuyogus. It was used by the Goths in exorcism 
and thence named alrun : see Aroynt. 

MANDUCATE,«.a. To chew, to eat. L. manduco. 

MANE, s. The hair on a horse's neck. G. man, 
Swed. mahn, D. man, T. mahne, B. maen, W. 
mwng, I. mong. It appears to be derived from 
G. men, a chain, clasp, or collar, which, like 
/*anaxjj;, may have obtained its name from re- 
sembling the moon. G. man, signified also the 
vertebrae of the back. 

MANES, s. Ghosts, shades. L. manes. 

MANGCORN, Mungcorn. Corn of several kinds 
mixed. G. mainga, Swed. mkenga, S. mangian, 
to mix 5 see Mongrel. 

MANGE, s. The scab or itch in cattle. L. B. 
mentigo, F. mangeaison, itching, from L. mando, 
F. manger, It. mangiare, to eat : Itch seems 
also to be derived from eat. 

MANGER, s. A trough to feed horses. F. mangeoir, 
from L. mando, F. manger, It. mangiare, to eat. 

MANGLE, v. a. 1. To press, to smooth linen; 
from the noun. 

<2. To mutilate, to lacerate. G. vanka, vanga, 
B. manken, T. mangen, mangeln, Swed. mangla, 
L.B. mancare, F. manquer, to lame, to mutilate. 

MANGLE, s. 1. A machine to smooth linen. G. 
manga, T. mang, Swed. mangel, W. mangul .- 
originally a powerful warlike machine, but now 
signifying a calander or wooden roller. 

MANGO. An Indian pickle. Coromandel manga,*' 
Malabar mana, Java manga ; perhaps from Sp. 
and Port, manzana, an apple. This, like other 
fruit, does not retain its flavour when pickled. 

MANGOSTEEN. A delicious fruit called mangas 
tangas at Java ; and mangastan by the Malays ; 
see Mango. 



MANIAC, s. A person raging mad. Manx, mad- 
ness, fury. 

MANIFEST, a. Plain, evident. L. manifestos, 
from i*ivu and <p«©-, to remain clear. 

MANIGLIONS. Handles in gunnery. It. mani- 
glioni, from L, manicce. 

MANILLE, s. A bracelet. F. manille, It. maniglia, 
from L. manica. 

MANIOC. An American root called by the Bra- 
silians Mandioca ; see Tapioca and Cassado. 

MANIPLE, s. A handful. L. manipulus. 

MANNA, s. A sweet drug. Arab, mann, Heb. 
manna, prepared bread. 

MANNER, s. Method, mode, custom, habit, sort, 
kind. It. maniera, F.maniere, Sp.manera; F. 
mener, Sp. maneira, menear, to have in hand, to 
conduct, from L. manus. 

MANGEUVRE, v. To manage, to conduct, with 
skill. F. manoeuvre, from manoeuvrer, L. manu 
operor. 

MANOR or MANOUR, s. The residence of a 
lord, over which he holds jurisdictions. F. ma- 
noir, L. B. manerium, from L. maneo. 

MANSE, s. A parsonage house. L. mansio. 

MANSLAUGHTER, s. The act of killing a man 
without previous malice. G. van, Swed. wan, S. 
van, Scotch mank, signify properly deficiency; but 
seem to have produced G man, "Swed. men, S. 
man, evil. G. Vanhalt is applied^o any injury or 
lameness happening to cattle through the care- 
lessness of those who had charge of them. Our 
word however may be the simple expression for 
Homicide, without malice prepense. 

MANTEL, s. A cloak, blind or mask, a board to 
cover part of the fire place ; see Mantle. 

MANTLE, s. A kind of cloak. G. mattul, S. 
mantil, Swed. mantel, T. mantel, L. B. man- 
telum, Arm. and W. mantell, P. mandyas, 

MANTLE, v. 1 . To cover, cloak ; from the noun. 
2. To spread the wings as a hawk in pleasure, 
to revel, to expand luxuriantly;' a word taken 
C 



MAR 



MAR 



from falconry. Sp. viantones, manteles, denote 
the feathers of a hawk's wing ; probably from 
L. mantele. 

MANTUA. 1. A woman's gown. F. manteau, 
Sp. manto, a mantle. 
2. A silk made at Mantua. 

MANUAL, a. Performed by the hand. L. manua- 
lis, F. manuel. 

MANUBIAL, s. Taken as spoils in war. L. ma- 
nubialis. 

MANURE, v. a. To dung, to enrich ; but pro- 
perly to cultivate. F. manceuvrer, from L. manu 
operor, to labor or practise with skill. It signi- 
fies improvement of land in general. 

MANY, a. Several, numerous, divers. G. mang > 
meing, Swed. mang, T. manage, manch, D. 
mange, and written in Saxon with very nume- 
rous variations. The root is G. ma, much, and 
cenig, some or any ; and hence also F. maint, 
Romance and W. mank, with the same signifi- 
cation. The G. and S. manga, mangen, to mix, 
are derived from mang, many. 

MAP, s. A delineation of a country. L. mappa, 
a table cloth, and thence a table of contents, an 
index. The word is now common to all Eu- 
ropean languages for a geographical picture. 

MAPLE, s. A tree called the Sycamore Maple, 
S. mapel, mapul, contracted from masboll ; see 
Mazer. 

MAR, v. a. To foil, defeat, derange. Sp. marrar, 
It. smarrire, are derived from B. marren. S. 
vierran, myrran, amirren, to deviate, turn away, 
hinder. The root seems to be G. ra, right, 
straight, which, with the negative prefix, be- 
comes ura, wry, wrong, yrra, Swed. irra, T. 
irren, L. erro, to err, to go wrong, to hinder. 

MARBLE, s. A fine hard stone j a little ball made 
of that stone. F. marbre, from L. marmor, /*«§- 
//.ago?. 

MARCASSITE, 5. A bright fossil, mundic. Sp. 
marquesito, F. marcassite; the defences of the 
wild boar are called marques, in Venery ; from 



which, in maturity, the animal is called mar- 
cassin in French, S. mearcs swin ; and this 
fossil has its name from resembling a boar's 
tusk. 

MARCESCENT, a. Fading, withering. L. mar- 
cescans. 

MARCH, s. 1. The third month. L. Martins, F. 
Mars, T. Mertz, and common to all European 
languages. 'Aeork, the ploughing season, from 
'A^iui, G. aria, S.arian, li.aro, to plough, seems 
to have had M prefixed in forming this name. 

2. The limit of a field or country. P. marz, G. 
mark, T. march, F. marche, W. mars, a boun- 
dary, of which L . margo is cognate ; see Mere. 

3. A military movement, a regular, solemn 
gait, a journey of soldiers. P. marz, G. mark, 
Swed. merk, T. mark, S. mearc, F. marche, W. 
mars, a degree, measure, boundary ; G. markga, 
to go regularly, merkga, to follow a standard or 
signal; see Mark. 

MARCHIONESS, s. The wife of a Marquis. It. 
marchesa -, see Marquis. 

MARCH-PANE, s. A kind of sweet bread. T. 
marzipan, F. masse pain, corrupted from L. 
massa panis. 

MARCH), a. Withered, lean, clung, pining. L. 
marcidus. 

MARE. An oppression in sleep called the night 
mare or incubus. G. mar, Swed. mara, D. mare, 
T. mare, a nymph or female elf, was a phantom 
supposed to inhabit the air and excite the fancy. 
Thus S. windu mcer, the wind mare, was echo. 

MARE, s. The female of a horse. Chald. meri, G. 
mer, S.mcere, D-. mcer, B. merrie, have the same 
signification with our word : but G. marc, T. 
mar, Arm. march, W. march, I. marc, mean a 
horse. 

MARESCHAL, s. The chief of an army. The ety- 
mon of our metre, great, or of mare, a horse, pre- 
fixed to G. skalk, a superintendant, signified 
either chief of the Household or Master of the 
Horse, D. marskalk, T. marschalk, Swed, mar- 



M AR 



MAR 



■skalk, It. marescalco, F. marechal; in the two 
last languages the name is applied both to a field 
marshal and a farrier. 

MARGARITE. A pearl, a daisy. P. marouaryd, S. 
meregrot, paefa.^Tn';, L. B. margarita ; sea grain. 

MARGRAVE, s. A German title. T. margraf, 
Warden of the Marches ; see Makch and 
Reeve or Grieve. 

MARINE, a. Belonging to the sea ; L. marinus, 
F. marin. 

MARISH, s. A bog, a fen. G. mcer, moisture, S. 
merse, B. maersche, T. marsch, F. marais; see 
Marsh and Moor. 

MARISH, a. Boggy, swampy ; for moorish. 

MARK, s. A token, sign, assignation, impres- 
sion, proof, standard, the sum of 13s. id., a 
foreign weight of eight ounces. G. mark, 
Swed. mark, S. mearce, T. mark, B. mercke, 
D. mcerke, Arm. marc, W. marc, I. marg, 

F. marque, It. marca. The root appears to be 

G. ra, a row, line, score or limit ; see Mere. 
MARKET, s. From mark, an assignation, a 

marked place or time for sale or purchase. G. 
markad, Swed. markuad, S. market, D. mar- 
ket, T. markt, L. mercatus, F. marche", It. mer~ 
cato. 

MARL, s. A kind of fat clay for manure. Marg 
or mergel, in this sense, is common to all the 
Gothic dialects ; L. marga, W. marl, I. marla, 
F. marl and mam. Marrow and smear are from 
the same root. 

MARLINE, s. Small cords of hemp, dipped in 
pitch, used for fastening the sails to the ropes. 
B. marling, D. merlinger, F. merlin, Sp. merlin, 
perhaps from G. mior, slender, and line : or 
moer, grease ; see Smear. 

MARMALADE, s. A conserve of quinces. P. mar- 
melo, Port, marmelo, a quince ; Port, marmelada, 
Sp. mermelada, L. melimelum, quinces boiled up 
with sugar and spices ; but the name is given 
by us to a conserve of bitter oranges. 

MARMOSET, s. A small animal resembling a 



monkey. Arm. mormousa, the sleeping mouse, 

F. marmouse ; it sleeps during the cold season ; 

see Marmott. 
MARMOTT, s. L.B. mura montis, L. musalpina, 

Sp. marmota,"E. marmott ; see Marmoset. 
MARQUE, s. A license of reprisals at sea ; from 

mark, a signature. 
MARQUEE, s. An officer's tent. A. maraud, a 

couch or pavillion. 
MARQUETRY, s. Inlaid work in wood. F. mar- 

queterie, marked, variegated. 
MARQUIS, s. A title next below a Duke. F. mar- 
quis, It. marchese, L. H.marchio; from marches 

the borders ; see Margrave. 
MARRIAGE, s. The act of joining man and wo- 
man for life. L. B. maritati, marilagium, F. 

marriage, from L. marito. 
MARROW, s. 1. An oily substance in bones 3 the 

quintessence. Heb. mara, beria, Isl. moer, W. 

mer, fat : Swed. marg, T. marck, S. merewe, 

D. marw , grease ; see Smear. 

2. A mate, an associate. G. magur j see 

Make. 
MARS, s. Iron, the God of War, and a planet named 

after him. 'Agu? signified iron and war, to which 

the Latins prefixed M in forming this name. 
MARSH, s. A bog or fen. In forming the names 

of places it is converted sometimes into mars 

aadmas; see Morass. 
MARSHAL, s. The chief officer at. arms j one 

who regulates rank. O. F. marscale ; see Ma- 

reschal. 
MART, s. 1 . A place of public traffic ; contract- 
ed from market. 

2. A letter of reprisal ; corrupted from markt, 

signed ; see Marque. 
MARTEN, s. 1 . A species of swallow. F. martinet 

or martelet, the St. Martin or March bird. 

2. A large kind of weasel. Swed. mard, S. 

mearth, L. martes, F. marte, martre. 
MARTIAL, a. Warlike, military, like iron. L. 

martialis ; see Mars. 



MAS 



MAT 



MARTINET, Martlet, s. A species of swallow ; 
see Marten. 

MARTINGAL, s. A strap used to curb a horse. 
Sp. mart'mgala, F. martingale, from G. mar, a 
horse, and tkweing, S. thwa7ig, T. twing, twingle, 
a constraint, stricture, pinch ; see Mare,Twinge 
and Thong. 

MIRTYR, s. One who suffers death for the sake 
of religion or truth, a sacrifice. Ma.glv%, a wit- 
ness. 

MARVEL, s. A wonder. F. merveille, L. mirabu- 
lum, from miro to admire. 

MARY, s. A woman's name. A. and Chald. mara, 
a woman, G. mar, a maid. 

MAS. A periodical termination, appears to have 
been contracted from G. Swed. T. and S. mal, 
mals, the time fixed for paying wages, rent, or 
other contribution. It afterwards became con- 
founded with mass, a religious ceremony ; 
whence Lammas, Martinmas. 

MASCULINE. Male, virile, like a man. L. mas- 
cuius, F. masculin. 

MASH, s. 1 . A mixture, a drench for a horse. 
M»|(? 3 L. mistio, S. miscung, T. mischung, D. 
mask, Swed. mask, a mixture of grain or malt, 
either for brewing or medicine. 
2. Maceration, bruising, kneeding. Arm. macha, 
F. macher, to break with the teeth , Sp. macha- 
car, majar, to pound in a mortar. 
3. The space between the threads of a net ; see 
Mesh. 

MASK, s. A disguise, a subterfuge, a festive en- 
tertainment, where people are disguised. Sp. 
mascara, It. mascara, F. masque, from A. maskh, 
transforming, changing ; maskhara, a person 
disguised, a player, a buffoon. 

MASLIN, s. A mixture, from mash; see also 
Miscellany. 

MASON, s. A builder, particularly in stone. 
M^an®-, f*?^ ?^ produced L. B. machio, machio- 
nis, a house builder, F.macora,- Mexico is said 



to have been so named from having stone houses j 
see Free-Mason. 

MASS, s. 1. The Romish service. G. messa,Jj.B. 
messa, Sp. misa, and common to all Christian 
languages. See Mess. 

2. A lump of dough, something bulky or solid. 
f.a.(tz,Ij.massa,~F.viasse; see Mace, 

MASSACRE, v. a. To butcher indiscriminately, 
to slaughter. F. massacrer, from L. macto, It. 
mazzo, to kill, and L. sacro to devote. 

MASSICOT, v. Calcined ceruss. It. massa cotta, 
baked dough, F. massicot. 

MAST, s. 1. The upright post in a ship, which 
supports the sail. G. maest tra, the biggest tree, 
Swed. mastrae, mast, D. mast, B. mast, S.mast, 
T. mast, F mast, mdt, maesire, Sp. mastil; see 
Most. 

2. T. mast, Arm. mess, W. mess, I. mass, the 
fruit of glandiferous plants. The word is form- 
ed, like meat, from G. eta, T. essen, L. edo, to 
eat. 

JMASTER, s. The chief of any place or thing. G. 
maestur, meistur, mestur, from mast, S. mast, 
greatest chief. T. meister, Swed. mxstare, B. viee- 
ster, D. mester, W. meister, I. maisder, It. mastro, 
F. maistre. L. magister is cognate in sense and 
formation with our word, being derived from 
^eytro?, greatest, most. 

MASTICATE, v. a. To chew. wx*<->- 

MASTICH, s. A gum and the plant producing it, 
a cement. /A«r»^, L. mastiche, It. mastico, F. 
mastic. 

MASTIFF, s. A large dog. F. meslif, Scot, mas- 
tiche, from G. maest, greatest, and tave, a dog j 
see Tike. F. matin, rnastin, is also contracted 
from G. maest hund, the great dog. 

MASTLIN, Messlin, s. Mixed corn j seeMASLiN. 

MAT, s. A texture of sedge, rushes, straw or 
cords. L. matta, S. meatta, T. matte, D. matte, 
W. matt, I. mata, F.natte; apparently from G. 
meis, interwoven, reticulated. 



MAT 



MAU 



MATACHIN, s. A buffoon dance. It. matachino, 
Sp. matachin, It. matto, a fool ; see to Mate. 

MATADORE, s. A slayer, a murderer, the name 
of a chief card at the game of Hombre. Sp. 
matador ; see Mate, to kill. 

MATCH, s. 1. A splinter that catches fire, the 
wick of a candle. Mux*;, L. myxa, It. miccia, F. 
m eche; dried fungus used for tinder. 
2. A pair, a marriage, an exertion between two 
equal parties. G. magdsk; see Mate and 
Make. 

MATE, s. A companion, fellow, husband, wife, 
partner in command, a second. G. mcegd, maegt, 
B. maat, Isl. meet, are from G, mcega, a connec- 
tion, a relation. 

MATE, v. a. 1 . To match ; from the noun. 
2. To confound, astonish, confuse, overcome. 
P. mat:, confused, astonished, is used at the 
game of chess, when the piece called the shah 
or king is unable to move ; and it resembles 
Sans. mat, mud, drunk. G. mceda, Isl. maat, Swed. 
moed, matt, T. mat. Sp. mate, F. mat, are also 
used like the P. word ; but they signify languid, 
fatigued, exhausted; but Sp. matar, to kill, 
from A. mata, dead, is a word common among 
the Malay and South Sea Islanders, and F.mat, 
applied to colour, is a dead colour. 

MATERIAL, a Corporeal, essential, important* 
momentous. Li.materialis, It. materiale, F '. ma- 
teriel; see Matter. 

MATERIALS, s.pl. Constituent parts, substances. 

MATERNAL, a. Motherly, kind, fond. L. ma- 
ternalis, F. maternel. 

MATEFELON, s. An herb called by Botanists 
Centaur ea nigra. W. madefelon, from S. mceth 
veilon, meadow violet. 

MATH, s. A mowing, a meadow. S. mceth ; see 
Mead. 

MATHEMATICS, pi. s. The science of numbers 
and magnitude. Ma0»^a1txo?, L. mathematicus, 
a man of learning, from pcAr^u,, discipline. 

MATHES. Camomile, S. magethe; see May- 



weed. We give the name now to the Adonis au- 

tumnalis. 
MATHMULLEN, s. The herb verbascum; from 

math, a meadow, and mullen. 
MATHON, s. A meadow crop ; from Math. 
MATIN, a. Morning. L. matutinum, from (Atr» 

euhvoi, aurora. 
MATINS. Morning prayers; from Matin. 
MATRASS, s. A chemical glass vessel. F. matras, 

from being shaped like an ancient javelin, L. 

matara, and therefore called a bolt head. 
MATRICE, s. The womb, a mould to cast in. 

L. matrix, from mater, a mother. 
MATRON, s. A married woman. L. matrona. 
MATROSS, s. An Artillery soldier; from L. 

matara, a kind of javelin ; see Matrass. 
MATTER, s. 1. Body, substance, dimension, 

business. G. mattur, strength, substance, might; 

L. materia, W. mater, It. materia, F. matiere. 

2. Pus, sordes, corruption. F. matiere, It. mate- 
ria, W. madra, I. mathair, appear to originate 

in the foregoing etymon ; but they may be 

confounded with maturation for suppuration, 

or perhaps formed from G. eitur, S. ester, ve- 
nom. 
MATTOCK, s. A pick axe, a kind of hoe. S. 

mattuc, W.matog, fromG. matt, strength, might, 

and hoga, a hoe. 
MATTRESS. A kind of quilt to lie on. L. mata 

rasa, It. matrazzo, F. materas, matelas, W. mat- 

tras, a smooth mat. 
MATURE, a. Ripe, digested. L. maturus, It. 

maturo. 
MAUDLIN TANSY, s. An herb employed as a 

vermifuge,- see made, a worm. 
MAUDLING. a. Half drunk ; from muddle to 

drink; see Mead. 
MAUGRE, prep. In defiance or spite of. F. mal- 

gre, from L. mala gratia. 
MAUL, 5. A heavy, wooden hammer ; see Mall. 
MAUND, s. A basket. Arm. man, W. maned, F. 

manne, T. maun, S. mand, B. mand, a basket, 



MAY 



MEA 



a measure for grain ; possibly from G. annat, 
rustic contribution ; see Annats andHANAPER. 

MAUNDER, v. a. To grumble, mouth, murmur; 
from G mund, T. mund, the mouth; see Muns. 

MAUNDAY THURSDAY, s. The Thursday 
next before Easter. L. mandati, dies mandati, 
Sp. jueves de mandato. On that clay the King 
of France was wont to wash the feet of some 
poor men, in obedience to the mandate that we 

. should love one another ; a kind of gift on that 
occasion was called a Maunday. 

MAUSOLEUM, a. A pompous funeral monu- 
ment. A. mazal for mazar, a tomb ; L. mauso- 
leum, is supposed to be the tomb of Mausoleus. 

MAUTHUR. A maid. S.mteth, M. G. mcethur, 
B. modur, a different pronunciation of maid. 

MAVIS, s. A kind of thrush. F. mauvis, from L. 
maculosa avis, the speckled bird, called also in 
F. grive, gray bird. 

MAW. The stomach, particularly of animals. P. 
maghdeh, G. maga, S. maga, Swed. mage, T. 
magen, B. meghe, D. mawe. 

MAWKISH, a. Squeamish, sickish at the stomach. 
G.magve, D. mawe, nausea ; fromMAW and Woe. 

MAWMISH, a. 1 . Foolish, lumpish, deformed ; 
see Mome. 
2. Nauseous, from maw, the stomach. 

MAXIM, s. A general principle, a leading truth, 
an axiom. L. maximum, F. maxime, the greatest 
or chief. 

MAY, auxil. verb ; pret. Might. G. ma, from meiga 
to have power, Swed. ma, S. mage, T. mbge. 

MAY, s. The fifth month, the gay season. L. 
Maius, according to Ovid, had its name from 
being dedicated to the majores or ancestors of 
the Romans. But as it is in general use among 
the Goths and Celts, it is probably G. viah, 
power, vigour, from meiga, to have power, de- 
noting the month when vegetation was most ac- 
tive. T. may signifies the opening buds of plants. 
MAYOR, s. The chief magistrate. L. major, F. 
maire, Arm. maer, W. maer, l.maor ,• seeMAERE. 



MAYWEED,*. Wild camomile. S.maiwe; see 
Mathes. 

MAZARD, s. The jaw. L. maxillaris, F. machoire, 
the jaw. 

MAZE, s. A labyrinth, perplexity : perhaps from 
L. meo and sinuo, S. mase, a whirlpool; but 
more probably from the verb. 

To MAZE, v. To confound, confuse, astonish. 
It was formerly written mate; which see. But, 
B. missen is used to denote fluctuation, error, 
perplexity,- see to Miss. 

MAZER, s. A drinking cup. G. mausur, Swed. 
masar, B. maeser, T. maser, Scotch maser, W. 
masarn, the birch or maple tree, and a cup made 
thereof. This kind of cup was called maser 
bol, and the tree mas boiler, which was corrupt- 
ed into mapul ; see Maple. 

ME, pron. The oblique case of I. G. meij or 
mik, T. mich, D. mij, I. me, Sans, me, Hind. 
mugh, /*e, L. me, Arm. me, W. mi, I. me. The 
P. am and mera have the same signification with 
me, and men is mine. 

MEACOCK, s. A timid or uxorious man. G. 
mygia to humiliate, Swed. mek, silly, D. myg, 
' submissive; see Meek and Gauk. 

MEAD, s. 1. A kind of wine. Sans, mud, A. and 
Heb. moodum, petiv, G. miod, Swed. mioed, D. 
miod, S. medo, B. meede, T. meth, W. medd, I. 
meadh, Russ. miodh, Polish miod, Dalmatian 
meod; hydromel or any fermented liquor. The 
Sans, word seems to be formed from muo, honey; 
see Metheglin. The G. honigtar, honey tears, 
was the drink of the Gods, which may have been 
the nectar of the Greeks ; see Meathe. 
2. A meadow. S.mced, math, T. mad; what is 
mowed. 

MEADOW, s. A field of natural grass kept for 
cutting. S.mcEdwe, from T. mad, S. meathe, mow- 
ed ; see Math and Mow. 

MEAGER, a. Lean. G. megur, mior, T. mager, 
Swed. mager, S.mceger, B. mager, L. macer, F. 
maigre, It. magro. 



ME A 



MED 



MEAK, s. A hook for cutting peas. Isl. maa, to 
mow, to reap, and heck, a hook. 

MEAL, s. 1 . Corn flour. S. mela, mcelawe, Swed. 
mjoel, B. meet, D. meel,T. mehl, Arm. mal, from 
G. mal, a division, mala, to reduce into small 
particles, L. molo, W. maZw, to grind. 
2. A regular repast. G. mal, Swed. mal, S. 
mal, mal, T. mal, B. wiaaZ, a division of time or 
space, a particular period, the regular hour of 
eating. 

MEAN, s. A medium, any thing used in order to 
produce some end. P. miyanu, G. midan, T. 
mitten, piaov, L. medium, Sp. mediano, F. moyen. 
It signifies something brought between to effect 
the purpose ; and G. medal, the middle, is also 
a mean. 

MEAN, a. 1. Middle, middling, indifferent, ordi- 
nary. 

2. Low, vulgar, plebeian, common, vile. S. 
mane, T. mein, gemein, from the same root with 
rneng, the crowd, populace, multitude. 

MEAN, v. a. To intend, design. A. muune, Hind. 
mana, pwvu, Arm. menna, to signify, indicate ; 
but our word more probably is G. minna, Swed. 
minna, S. manan, T. meinen, B. meenen, D. 
meene, to have in mind. 
MEASE, s. A quantity, particularly of herrings, 
signifying 500. T. mase, maass, I. maois, T. 
miot, S. mete, B. maat, L. modius ; see to Mete 
and Measure. 
MEASLES, s. An eruptive disease. T. masel, B. 
magelen, D. meisling, Arm. mezell, F. mezel, 
leprosy. T. mase, L. maculosus, signify spotted; 
but G. missli, mislitur, discolour, may be the 
etymon. 
MEASURE, s. A dimension, proportion, standard 
of quantity, a mean, an expedient, cadence in 
verse, time in music, degree, limit. H. mesurak, 
L. mensura, F. mesure, It. misura, W. mesur, 
medur, Arm. musur, T. mase, I. meas-, see Mete. 
L. modus is a mean, manner, medium, and a 
measure, corresponding with the F., W., and 



our own word. It. mesura, is also mediocrity ; 
see Mean and Mete. 
MEAT, s. Food, flesh to be eaten. G. mat, Swed. 
mat, D. mad, S. mete, Arm. and W. maeth ; from 
G. ata, etia, to eat ; see Bait. 
MEATHE, s. Drink, beverage ; see Mead. 
MECHANIC, s. An artificer. M^anxo?. L.mecha- 

nicus, It. mechanico. 
MEDAL, s. A piece struck on some extraordinary 
occasion, an ancient coin. T. medel, It. meda- 
glia, F. medaille, L. B. metallia, W. mall. It 
seems to have the same root with our mite, a 
piece of money, and meed, a reward. 
MEDDLE, v.n. To interpose. G. medal, the mid- 
dle or medium, produced D. meddele, Swed. 
meddela, B. middelen, to use a mean or interfe- 
rence, corresponding with the verb to mediate. 
MEDIATE, v. To intercede, interpose. L. B. 
medio, to place in the middle, from L. medium,- 
see Mediation. 
MEDIATION, s. Intercession. L. mediator; see 

Mediate. 
MEDICAL, a. Medicinal. L. medicabilis -, see 

Medicine. 
MEDICINE, s. A remedy, physic. L. medicina, 
F. medecine, L. medeor, to heal, is from medium, 
a mean ; and M. G. midga, Swed. medel, T. mittel, 
signify a mean, middle, remedy and medicine. 
MEDIN, s. A measure. Me^vos, L. medimnus. 
MEDITATE, v. a. To muse, plan, contrive, con- 
template, L. medito, F. mediter. 
MEDIUM, «. A mean, middle state or place. 

L. medium. 
MEDLAR, s. The name of a species of hawthorn 
and its fruit. S. meed, from being used to make 
mead, a kind of liquor, pto-zsito. 
MEDLEY, s. A mixture, miscellany. G. medal, 
Swed. medel, among, mingled j confounded with 
L. B. miscello, mistello, F. mesler, meter, meteler, 
from ptynu, L. misceo, to mix; see Mell. 
MEDULLA, s. Pith, marrow, the heart of a 
plant. Mue*o?, L, medulla. 



MEL 



MER 



WEED, s. Reward, gift, recompense. G. met, 
mctur, mccti, S. med, T. myde, value, considera- 
tion, estimation, reward. I. miadh, honour, 
f<jerSo;, wages, compensation. 

MEEK, a. Soft, gentle, placid, submissive. P. 
mekka, G. miulc, Swed. miuk, D. myge, submis- 
sive, humble, soft, mild. 

MEER, s A lake, a boundary ; see Mere. 

MEET, v. To encounter, to come face to face, to 
join. G. mota, Swed. mota, S. metan, B. moetan, 
T. moten, D. moede, to assemble, to come 
together from opposite directions, to encounter, 
oppose. 

MEET, a. Fit, proper, suitable. G.-mceti, Swed. 
matt, S. mate, in measure, in estimation, pro- 
per, regular, estimable ; see Mete. 

MEGRINE, s A disorder in the head. '%«£*»»*, 
F. migraine 

MEINE, v. To mingle, to mix. Miyvia, S. mengen; 
see Mangcorn. 

MEINY, s. Family, retinue, servants. F. mesgnie, 
from L. mansio, a dwelling; see Mesne. 

MELANCHOLY, s. A kind of insanity, a gloomy 
temper. MsXai/, black, and x?7w, bile ; L. melan- 
cholia, F. melancholie. 

MELIORATE, v. a. To improve, better ; from 
L. melior, better. 

MELL, v.a. To mix, mingle. Chaucer uses ymell, 
Swed. imellan, in this sense, meaning among, 
from G. media, the middle, contracted into 
mille, Swed. mella; but our word seems to 
partake of F. meler, mesler, from L. misceo, 
L. B. 'miscello, to mix ; see Medley. 

MELLIFEROUS, a. Producing honey ; from 
piXi, L. mel. 

MELLOW, a. Soft, full, ripe, mature. M^oek, 
L. medullosus, F. moelleux. F. mol, from L. 
mollis, is also used in the sense of mellow ; 
Swed. mjkll. 

MELODY, s. Music, harmony of sound. lAiKatiia,, 
element of song, L. melodia, F. melodie. 



MELON, s. A fruit and plant. M?x », L. malum, 

F. melon. 
MELT, v. To make or become liquid. G. melta, 

Swed. melta, S. meltan, /asX&j} see Smelt. 
MEMBER, s. A limb, a clause, a person belong- 
ing to a society. L. membrum, F. membre. 
MEMBRANE, *. A kind of web or skin to cover 
some parts of the body; a pliable texture of 
fibres. L. membrana. 
MEMOIR, s. A record, a short account of any 
transaction. L. memoria, F. memoire, recollec- 
tion, memory. 
MEN, s. Plural of man. 
MENACE, s. A threat. L. minatio, F. menace. 
MENAGE, s. A collection of animals. F. mesnage, 
menage, Arm. mesna, a dwelling, the five stock 
of a farm ; from L. mansio. 
MEND, v. To repair, grow better. L. emendo, 

from menda, a fault. 
MENDACITY, s. Falsehood, lying. L. mendacium. 
MENDICATE, v. a. To solicit charity. L. mendico. 
MENIAL, a. Servile, mean, low, domestic ; from 

meiny. 
MENOLOGY, s. A register of months. From 

j«in), the moon, and toy©-, speech. 
MENSAL, a. Belonging to the table. From L. 

mensa, a table. 
MENSTRUAL, a. Monthly, every month. L. 

menstrualis. 
MENSURABLE, a. Measurable. L. mensura, 

measure. 
MENT. A termination, first used by Latin authors 
about the beginning of our era, and generally 
adopted in It. F. and Sp. It has been supposed 
tobeL. mens, mentis; and in sentiment, judg- 
ment, that sense might seem natural : but, er- 
crementum and sepimentum cannot in any way 
imply mind. Our etymon is L. ens, entis, being; 
to which m was prefixed to avoid the hiatus 
which would be produced by the junction of 
two vowels. 



MER 



MES 



MENTAL, a. Intellectual, of the mind. From L. 

mens, mentis, the mind. 
MENTION, s. A recollection, a recital, memo- 
randum. L. mentio, F. mention. 
MEPHITES, s. Noxious exhalations. L. mephitis, 

from iMocuponu. 
MERACIOUS, a. Neat, strong, pure, clear. L- 

meracus, from merits. 
MERCAT, s. A market, trade, commerce. L. B. 

mercatus; see Market. 
MERCENARY, s. One retained for pay. L. mer- 

cenarius, F. mefcinaire. 
MERCER, s. A dealer in silks and stuffs. L. merx, 

F. mercier, It. merciaro. 
MERCHANT, s. A person who trades. L. mer- 

cator, It. mercanter, F. marchand, from the same 

root with market. 
MERCURY, s. The messenger of the gods ; met. 

sprightliness, quicksilver. 
MERCY, s. Clemency, compassion, unwillingness 

to punish. L. misericordia, F. merci. 
MERE, a. Simple, pure, neat, true, very. L. 

merus. 
MERE, Meer, Mer, in the beginning, middle or 

ends of words, signifies 1. A lake or river; 

from G. mar, water; S. mere, T. mer, B. meer, 

a lake. 

2. A boundary or limit : from G. mera, meer, 

8. mara, Swed. maere; the root being G. ra, 

a row, a line. 
MERETRICIOUS, a. Alluring, whorish. L. 

meretricius. 
MERIT, Meritoriousness, s. Desert, claim, 

right. L. meritum, a reward, recompense, F. 

merit. 
MERLIN, s. A kind of hawk. L. B. merillus, T. 

mer ling, P. emerillon, It. smeriglion, the female 

musket hawk, supposed to be from L. merula; 

but Isl. muer and maes, are applied to denote a 

small bird or" sparrow ; see Titmouse. 
MERMAID, s A fabulous sea woman; from G. 

mar, L. mare, the sea, and maid. 
MERLING, s. A kind of fish. L. merula, F. merlan. 



MERRY, a. 1. Laughing, gay, jovial. T. mere, 
mer, jocund, sensual, wanton, S. myreg, I. 
mearh. The origin is obscure; but S. mare, 
great, celebrated, produced mersian, to cele- 
brate, to rejoice, mersung, gladness, mirth, 
fame, celebrity. The Saxons applied this word 
in the sense of gay, pleasing, and Eden was 
called the merry garden : see M.ere. 
2. Great, brave, celebrated, gallant ; seeM^ERE. 
MERRY ANDREW, s. A buffoon, a droll ; from 
merry and G. ganter, Swed. gante, D. ganter, 
Scotch gend, a mocker or jester. 
MERRY THOUGHT, s. A forked bone of a 
fowl ; from merry, great, chief, and G. thot, a 
couple or transom ; L. clavicula. 
MERSION, s. The act of plunging in water. L. 

mersio. 
MESEEMS, v. imperf. It seems to me. 
MESH, s. The space between the threads of a 
net. G. meis. D. maske, S. max, T. maschen. B. 
maesch, W. masg; from G. midla, meisa, to 
divide; see Mail. 
MESNE, or Mesn, the tenure of one who holds 
a manor from a superior, and has tenants of 
his own. F. mesgnie, from L. mansio ; see 
Meiny. 
MESPISE, s. Contempt ; perhaps for misprise, if 
not from miss and L. specio, to behold amiss, to 
despise. 
MESS, s. 1. A dish, food, or society eating 
together. P. meza, G. mesa, S. mese, F. mess, 
L. mensa, a table, a dish. M. G. mats, T. mas, 
Sclav, meszo, Russ. masso, Sp. mueso, food, were 
derived, like meat, from eat. S. metsian, to feed. 
2 f A mash, a mixture ; me<. a confusion, per- 
plexity ; see Mash. » 
MESSAGE, s. Advice sent, an errand. L. missus, 

F. message. 
MESSIAH, s. The Christ. A. Mesiah, Heb. Messia, 

the anointed. 
MESSIEURS, s. My sirs. F. plural of Monsieur. 
MESSUAGE, s. A house or tenement. L. B. mes- 
suagium, from L. mansio. 
E 



MID 



MIL 



f 



MET, pret. and part, of the verb to meet. 

METAL, s. Minerals, such as gold, silver, and 
iron. Heb. metil, ^(IxX^ov, L. metallum, It. 
metallo, F. metaille, W. metel. The four prin- 
cipal ores seem to have derived their names, 
among the Goths, from their different colours. 
Gold, gull, yellow; silver, lios, Hover, white, 
synonymous with a$yv%o<; ; blije or bley, lead, 
from bite, blue, livid ; iron, G. iarn, from iar, 
black : G. blacka, Swed. blaek, also signified 
iron fetters; but perhaps from belaga, to lay 
up, to confine ; see Black Hole. 

METE, v, To measure. Heb. middah, fi^a, L. 
metior, G. mceta, Swed. mxta, S. maethian, B. 
meeten, T. messen. The Gothic word signifies 
also to estimate. 

METHEGLIN, s. Honey and water mixed. Mftv 
ytoxim, sweet drink; see Mead. 

METHINKS, v. imperf. It appears to me; see 
To Think. 

METHOD, s. Order, way, manner. MlSo^k, L. 
methodus, F. methode. 

METRE, s. Measure, verse. M/Igoir, L. metrum ; 
see Mete. 

METTLE, s. Courage, sprightliness. T. mutwill, 
B. moedwill, animation, frowardness, from G. 
mod, T. muth, the mind ; see Moody, 

MEW, s. 1. A coop, a cage; but probably a re- 
ceptacle for hawks changing their feathers, and a 
place for changing carriages, horses, and what- 
ever belonged to the chase. L. B. muta, It. 
muta, F. mue, from L. muto ; see Mue. 
2. A sea fowl, S. mcew, T. mowe, B. meeuw, W- 
mew, F. mouelle, from its cry j see To Mew. 

MEW, «. To cry like a cat. Isl. miaua, D. mawe, 
T. mauen, W. mewian, F. miauler. 

MICHE, u. ra. To be idle, hid, concealed. S. 

mcectan, to neglect, to be careless, mithan, to 

skulk ; but the word appears to be T. mauchen, 

to conceal ; see Mugger. 

MICKLE, a. Much, great. G. mickel, Swed. 

mickel, S. micel; see Much. 
MID, Middle, Midst, a. Between, among, the 



half. Sans, muddh, G. mid, Swed. mid, S. midd, 
L. medius, heVos. 

MIDGE, s. A gnat, a fly. P. mije, Sans, mukkhee, 
/Autas, L. musca, D. myg, S. wiyge, B. wwg, 
Swed. mygg, T. mucke, F. mouche, Sp. moschett. 

MIDRLFF, s. The diaphragm. G. wiidn/, S. 
medhrife ; from mid, and /irj/e, a wrapper. 

MIDWIFE, s. A person who delivers women. 
G. mit, D. mid, for w£, knowledge, wisdom, 
corresponding with F. sage femrne, and Scotch 
cannie wife. G. met, signifies skill, art ; but B. 
maia, is the Greek name for a midwife. 

MIEN, s. Countenance, look, air, manner. G. 
mynd, Swed. mynd, mine, D. mine, F. mine, Isl. 
mena ; see Muns, Mouth, and Mine. 

MIGHT, pret. Of May. 

MIGHT, s. Power, force. G. maht, magt, S. 
maght, D. magt, Swed. makt, from G. meiga, to 
have power ; see May. 

MILD, a. Gentle, soft, lenitive. G. mild, Swed. 
milder, S. mild, T. viild. 

MILDEW, s. Blight, a disease in plants, mouldi- 
ness. L. melligo, a kind of sweetish gum pro- 
duced on plants by defective vegetation, has 
been confounded in English with meal and 
mould. S. mildeaw, D. meeldug, T. mehlthau, 
miltaw, dusty dew, or moisture. 

MILE, s. A measure of 1760 yards ; but with the 
Romans 1000 paces. F. mile, It. miglio, from 
L. mille, a thousand. 

MILK, s. A white nutricious fluid by which 
females nourish their young. MLxko., G. miolk, 
Swed. mjeolk, D. melk, T. milch, B. melk, S. 
mile, I. meilg. 

MILL, s. A machine for grinding. MvM, L. mola, 
D. mmllc, T. miihhle, S. myln, Ann. meiM, W. 
melen, I. muilion, F. moulin, from G. wzaZa, L. 
wioZo, to grind ; see Meal. 

MILLET, s. A plant and its seed. A. mileb, F. 
millet, It. miglio. 

MILLINER, s. One who makes women's caps and 
sells ribands, &c. O. E. milloner, supposed to 
have been originally a dress-maker from Milan; 



MIN 



MIR 



but probably from G. milla, Swed. mella, to 
meddle, to divide, interfere, deal: venders of 
housings were called horse-milliners ; see Mell 
and Monger. 

MILT, s. 1. The spleen. Isl. millte, Swed. mjeelte, 
D. milt, S. milt. T. miltz, Arm. melch, It. miltza. 
2. The soft roe of fish, from its' milky appear- 
ance. D. melken, T. milch. InF. laite du poisson. 

MIME, s. A mimic, a buffoon, im^, L. mimus, 
It. mimo, F. mime. 

MINARET. A turret, pillar or spire. A meenar, 
P. minar, F. minaret. 

MINCE, v. To cut into small pieces, to relate 
with caution, to speak small and imperfectly. F. 
mincer, S. minsian ; see Minish. 

MIND, s. Intellectual power, opinion, sentiment, 
remembrance, attention, recollection. G. mod, 
Swed. mod, correspond with L. animus; and 
minne, Swed. minne, D. minde, S. gemind, Sans. 
mun, L. mens, signify properly memory. 

MINE, pro. Possessive, belonging to me, my 
own. P. mine, G. min, Swed. min, S. myn, T. 
mein, F. mien, L. meus, It. mio. 

MINE, s. A place whence minerals are dug, a 
hole, a cavern. D. mine, T. mine, B. myn, Swed. 
tnina, Arm. mwyn, W. nwu, I. mein, Sp. wima, 
F. mine, It. mina,- see Mouth, Mint, and 
Muns. 

MINERAL, s. A hard fossil substance. F. mineral, 
from »/une, as fossil from Jj. fossa. 

MINGLE, u. a. To mix, to compound. G. meinga, 
S. mengen, B. mengen, mengelen, T. mengen, 
manegen, yayna ; see Many. 

MINIATURE, s. A painting, a small picture in 
water colours. F. miniature, Sp. miniatura, from 
L. minio, to paint with minium. We have con- 
founded the word with L. minus. 

MINIKIN, a. Small, diminutive : a very small 
pin. G. min, minna, B. min, T. min, W. main, 
(jluuv, L. minus. 

MINIM, s. A dwarf, a small type, a short note 
in music. L. minimus. 



MINION, s. A favourite, a creature of affection. 
T. minion, minn, B. minnen, min, F. mignon, 
Arm. mignon, a darling ; from G. vin, min, affec- 
tion, friendship, love. The root appears to be 
G. una to love,- see Venus. 

MINISH, v. a. To make less, impair, cut off, 
hash. Swed. minska, from G. minn, L. minus, 
small, F. mincer, wlba, L. minuo. 

MINISTER, s. A person employed in the govern- 
ment or church, an agent. L. minister, F. mi- 
nistre, an attendant, servitor, waiter, assistant. 

MINNOCK, s. An elf, an urchin, a mischievous 
child, a saucy girl : perhaps from G. mein, S. 
man, myn, Swed. mehn, perverse, wrong, and 
G. ug, I. og, a young person ; see Minx. 

MINNOW, or MENNOW, s. A very small fish. 
Sp. mena from L. minus. 

MINOR, s. One under age, the second proposi- 
tion of a syllogism. L. minor. 

MINSTER, s. A monastery, cathedral church. L. 
monasterium, T. munster, S.minstre. 

MINSTREL, s. A musician. AvXos, a pipe, was 
added to minister in forming. L. B. ministrolus, 
menestralus, Sp. menestrel, a performer of mu- 
sic. Aulos was afterwards omitted, and L. B. 
menestrum, menetrum, signifying a pipe, pro- 
duced F. menestrier, a piper. Ay^xij had the 
same signification. 

MINT, s. I. A place where money is coined. L. 
moneta, money, seems to be derived from G. 
mynd, Swed. mynd, a mien, face or image ; 
whence S. mynetian, B. munten, T. muntzen, to 
coin. The Eastern rupee known in Russia as 
ruble, is from Sans, roop, P.roo, a face, although 
now, through Mahometan superstition, that coin 
bears only an inscription. See Mine, Mien, 
Muns, and Money. 

MINUET, s. A stately, regular dance. F. minuet, 
It. minuto, from L. minute, nice, accurate, 
graceful. 

MINX, s. A saucy, perverse girl ; see Minnock. 

MIRACLE, s. A sight, wonder, some act that is 



MIS 



MIX 



contrary to human nature. L. miraculum, from 

L. miror, P. mihra, to see, to behold. 
MIRADOR. A seeing place, a balcony ; from L. 

miror, P. mihra, from raa, to see. 
MIRE, s. l.Mud, wet, dirt, filth. G. myra, 

Swed. myru, B.moer, T. moder, wet, dirt, mud. 

2. An emmet. P. mur, G. maur, S. miru, Swed. 

myra, B. mier, W. myr, pv^<& ; see Pismire. 
MIRROUR or MIRROR, s. A looking glass, a 

show, a pattern. A. mirut, L. miror ; see Mi- 

RADOK. 

MIRTH, s. Laughter, joy, gladness. S. myrthe, 
merryhood 5 see Merry. 

MIS. A prefix denoting failure or deviation in all 
the G. dialects ; ~E.mes; see Miss. 

MISANTHROPE, s. A hater of mankind: M^em- 
Bgwir®*. 

MISCELLANY, s. A mixture, a composition of 
various things. L. miscellanea. 

MISCHIEF, s. Injury, damage, harm; contract- 
ed from miss qchieveance, a misdeed. 

MISCIBLE, a. Mixible ; from L. misceo. 

MISCREANT, s. An unbeliever, a term of the 
greatest reprobation among Christians and Ma- 
hometans, a vile wretch. F. mescreant. • The 
word is formed by prefixing the negative miss 
to L. credens, believing. 

MISER, s. A sordid, covetous wretch, who suffers 
from privations. L. miser. 

MISLE, v. n. To rain in very small drops ; pro- 
perly to mistle, from mist. 

MISS, s. A contraction of Mistress applied to 
a young lady. Mistress is still pronounced 
Misses by the vulgar, who, to avoid the sound of 
our plural, contracted the word into Miss ; but 
the original term is generally considered more 
respectful. B. meisje, a little girl or servant, is 
the diminutive of G. maij, meidje, a maid. 

MISS, v. To go beside the mark, fail, escape, 
omit. G. rnissa, Swed. missa, T. missen, S. mis- 
sion, B. missen, to deviate, to pervert, confuse ; 
pret. G. miste, D. mist, our mist for missed. The 



root of this word is G. um, ym, around, about ; 
whence yms, ims, ymis, vacillation, deviation, 
change, converted into ymisa and missa, to go 
hither and thither, to err, to fail. 

MISSAL, s. The mass book ; see Mass. 

MIST, s. A low thin cloud, fog, dimness. S. 
mist, B. mist, T. mist. 

MISTLETOE, 5. A plant that grows on trees, 
particularly the apple and ash ; but perhaps 
never found on the oak naturally. The Druids 
however had probably contrived to cultivate it 
on that tree, and practised much religious mys- 
tery in gathering it. G. mistel tein, S. mystelta, 
Swed. mistelten, T. mistel. G. mislit, S. mistl, 
discolour, and G. tein, ta, a branch, was evi- 
dently the origin of the name. The Gauls called 
it guy, their corrupt pronunciation of L. viscus. 

MISTRESS, s. A woman who governs, a sweet 
heart, a concubine. The feminine of master. 

MISY, s. A kind of mineral. Miav. 

MITE, s. 1. A small coin or particle. T. meit, 
meid, medel, B. myte, G. mith, small, minute ; 
from meida, M. G. maitan, to divide, cut. 

1. A small insect. D. mide, T. made, B. migt, 
F. mite, from its smallness, as the preceding 
word. It was also called mal in Gothic, which 
signifies, like insect, a particle or animalcula ; 
see Mad. 

MITIGATE, v. a. To alleviate, mollify. L.mitigo. 

MITRE, s. 1. An episcopal crown. Mn-ga, G. 
mitur, L. mitra, F. mitre. It was apparently a 
tiara worn by Priests of Mithras ; from~P. mihr 
the sun, Sans. Mahddeva, the great God, the 
divinity of fire. 

2. The joining of boards by acute angles, re- 
sembling those of a mitre ; a term used by car- 
penters. 

MITTENS, s. pi. Gloves without fingers. L. »m- 
nitia, F. mitane, a glove. 

MIX, v. a. To mingle, unite, join. Uiaya, L. mis- 
ceo, T. mischen. 

MIXEN, s. A dung heap, a compost. S. mixen, 



MOH 



MOL 



tneoxen, from muck; sometimes confounded with 
mixing, a compost. Scotch midding is from mow, 
a heap, and dung. 
MIZZEN, s. The mast in the stern of a ship. 
Swed. mesan, D. mesan, besan, B. bizaan, F. ba- 
senne, It. mizzana, Sp. mezana. 
MIZZY, s. A bog, quagmire, swamp. Arm. mouis, 

W. viize ; see Moss, and Moist. 
MOAN, v. n. To grieve, to lament. S. mcenan, to 
express grief. It is probable that our word may 
be cognate with woe ,• as the Gothic transmuta- 
tions of v and m were frequent. 
MOAT, s. A canal or ditch made round a castle. 
Sp. mota, F. motte, L. B. mota ; apparently 
from A. ma, mao, yJHv, G. moda, moa, water ; 
Swed. ma, mad, a marsh or fen. 
MOB, s. 1. The populace, contracted from mo- 
bile. 

2. A woman's cap. B. viop, moff, Scotch mab- 
bie, from G. hufa, D. hub, T. haube, a hood or 
cover; whence Scotch hap. 
MOBILE, s. Cause of motion, sphere, mob, rout. 

L. mobile, F. mobile. 
MOCHA, a. A stone containing figures of trees. 
It. pietra mosca, from L. muscosus, the moss 
stone. 
MOCK, v. a. To imitate, mimic, deride, deceive. 

M«xa«, F. moquer, W. moccio. 
MODE, s. A form, fashion, way, state, appear- 
ance. L. modus, It. modo, F. mode, Sans. mut. 
MODEL, s. A copy, pattern, representation, 

mould ,• from Mode. 
MODERATE, a. Temperate, sober, mild, rea- 
sonable. L. moderatus, It. moderate. 
MODIFY, v. a. To shape, change the form or 

mode. F. modifier, from L. modofacere. 
MODWALL. A kind of wood-pecker. G. meid 
is wood, and S. wigol, from G. ve, veg, holy, 
consecrated ; a name given to birds of divination ; 
see Witwall and Hickwall. 
MOHAIR, s. A thread or stuff made of silky 



hair, F. monaire, moire, T. moor, B. moor, from 

P. moo, fine hair, A. mojacar, mushir, hairy. 
MOIDER, v. a. To make crazy, to madden. M. 

G. moda, crazy ; see Mad . 
MOIDORE, s. A Portugal gold coin in value 27s. 

L. moneta de auro. 
MOIETY, s. The half, the one of two equal parts. 

F. moitie, It. meta, from L. medietas. 
MOIL, v. 1. To drudge, toil, labour. G. modila, 

from meed, mod. Swed. mod, matt, S. moethe, 

T. mude, Scotch muddle, fatigue, trouble ; see 

Muddle. 

2. To daub, to sprinkle. To muddle, from 
Mud j confounded with F. mouiller, to wet. 

3. To stain, spot, paint. T. mallen, from G. 
mal, S. mal, a spot. 

MOIST, a. Wet in a small degree, juicy. F. 

moist, Arm. moues, from L. madidus. 
MOKY, a. Dark, foggy : perhaps corrupted from 

Murky ; see Muggy. 
MOLE, s. 1. A natural spot on the skin. T. mahl, 

Swed. mal, S. mal, L. macula. 

2. A false conception. L. mola, F. mole, Sp. mola. 

3. A small animal. B. mol, contracted from 
Molewarp. 

4. A round pier or dike. L. moles, F. mole, Sp. 
muelle. 

MOLEST, v. a. To trouble, disturb, vex. L. mo- 
lesto, F. molester. 

MOLEWARP, s. A small animal called a Mole. 
See Mouldwarp. 

MOLLIFY, v. a. To soften, assuage, quiet, from 
L. mollis and facere. 

MOLLY, s. A girl's name generally used for 
Mary; M. G. mawilo, S. meoule, Scotch mull, 
dim. of G. mey, a maid. The Goths used Mo 
as a diminutive; Barnillo was a little child. 
Maids of Honour were anciently called the 
Queen's meys. Mary however may have become 
Maly from the usual intermutation of r and ?; 
see Sally. 
F 



MON 



MOP 



MOLOSSES, or MOLASSES, s. Treacle, dregs 
of sugar. Heb. malatz, fjt.fa{l<&, It. melazzo, F. 
melasse, ^s'Ai, honey, ^Owaau., a bee. 

MOLY, s. A kind of rue or wild garlick. Mfav, 
L. molt/ ; but Tartar mola, Swed. mola, T. melde, 
is our orache. 

MOME, s. A dull stupid fellow, a misshapen cub, 
a blockhead. The word was anciently mawn, 
B. moon ; see Mooncalf. 

MONDAY, s. The second day of the week; 
Mondag in all the G. dialects ; from Moon and 
day. 

MONEY, s. Metal coined for public use. S. my- 
net, T. muintze, Swed. mynt, Sclav, mince, L. 
moneta, It. moneta, F. monnoie, W. mwnai ; from 
G. mynd, mint, a countenance, face, image ; see 
Mint. 

MONEYWORT. An herb, called in Botany num- 
mularia. 

MONGER, s. A dealer. G. mangare, Swed. man- 
ger e, from manga, S. mangian, to deal in many 
articles , L. mango, a regrettor ; see Many. 

MONGREL, a. Any thing of a mixed breed. 
From the same root with mang and monger ; see 
Many. 

MONK, s. A religious recluse. Monaco?, a solitary 
person, L. monachus, G. munk, and adopted in 
all Christian countries. 

MONKEY, s. An ape, baboon, a silly fellow. P. 
maimoon, mono, Port, mono, a name perhaps 
adopted from the Moors, to which cad, a dog, 
may have been added to form our word. 

MONSOON, s. A shifting trade wind. A. mon- 
som, a season. The year in Asia is divided into 
two monsoons, the summer and the winter. 
MONTERA, s. Sp. a horseman's cap, or mount- 
ing cap ; from montar, to ride. 
MONTH, s. The space of four weeks. P. ma- 
heena, G. manad, T. monat, S. monath, L. men- 
sis, from P. mah, G. man, imi.', S. mon, the moon. 
MONTHSMIND, s. An earnest desire. G. ma, 



our mo, much, great, seems to have been pre- 
fixed to G. unath, in forming Isl. munad, desire, 
affection ; munaths mind, a mind of affection. 

MOOD, s. 1. Temper of mind, disposition. G. 
mod, Swed. mod, S. mod, B. moed, T. mutt, mind, 
will, spirit, courage. 
2. A term in grammar. L. modus. 

MOODY, a. 1. Wayward, passionate, spirited. 
S. modig, B. moedig, T. muthig, from mood; 
see Mettle. 
2. Mental, intellectual ; from mood, the mind. 

MOON, s. The nocturnal luminary. P. mah, (tw, 
G. mawa, Swed. mana, S. wjona, Isl. mona, B. 
maan, T. mond. 

MOONCALF, s. A monster, a false conception, 
an ideot, a term of abuse. T. monkalb, from G. 
matin, S. man, false, spurious, B. moon, an evil 
spirit, and G. alf, a conception, a foetus, cor- 
rupted into calf, which is G. ku alf, offspring of 
a cow. 

MOOR, s. 1. A marsh or fen. G. mar, T. mor, 
B. moer. 

2. A heath, black earth covered with ling. G. 
moor, S. mor, Scotch mure, Isl. moor, S. more, 
which,from its dark,heathy appearance, is also 
a mountain. 

3. A cable. A. marra, a cable; Port, arharra, 
Sp. amarra. 

4. A Negro, an African. L. maurus, It. moro, 
Sp. moro. 

5. A term in venery, when the deer is slain. L. 
mors, F. mor. 

MOOR, v. a. To fasten with a cable. From moor, 
a cable, Port, marrar, F. amarrer, Sp. amarrar. 

MOOSE, s. A large American deer, called by the 
natives Poose and Wampoose. 

MOOT, v. To argue, to plead a mock cause. G. 
mota, motgian, Swed. mota, S. motian, to en- 
counter, to run against, to dispute; see To 
Meet. 

MOP, s. 1. A flocky utensil to clean houses. 



MOR 



MOS 



Named perhaps from its resemblance to a muff 

of mob. 

2. A wry mouth. F. moue, from mouth; see 

Muffle. 
MOPE, v. To be drowsy or stupid. Mvu 3ira.$, to 

close the eyes. 
MOPE, Mopus, s. A drone, a stupid person. 

Mi!4, L. myops. 
MOPPET, Mopsy, s. A puppet made of rags j 

see Mammet. 
MORAL, a. Belonging to manners. L. moralis, 

F. morale. 
MORASS, s. A fen, bog, marsh; from moor, 

Swed. morass, T. morast. 
MORE or Moe, a. Greater in number, quality, 

quantity or size, the comparative of much. G. 

meir, Swed. mer, T. mehr, S. mare. It is con- 
tracted from marer, as G. mar, mer, signified much 

or great, and corresponds with P. mihtar, from 

Sans, maha, great ; see Much. 
MOREL, s. An acid cherry; but properly the 

Alkakengi, L. morilla solarium, F. morell. 
MORELAND, s. A mountainous or waste country. 

Isl. moor, S. mor, and morland; whence West- 
moreland, and Morne in Ireland. 
MORGLAY, s. A great sword. W. and Arm. 

maur clez, I. claidham mor, L. gladius major. 
MORIL, s. A kind of mushroom. F. morille, T. 

morcheln, Sp. morel, from its dark colour. It 

is called in Swed. murkla, perhaps G. morkulle, 

black cap ; see Murry. 
MORION, Murrion, s. Armour for the head, a 

Moorish helmet, any thing Moorish, F. morione. 
MORKIN, s. A wild beast found dead; a term 

with hunters. L. morticinus. 
MORLING, s. The wool taken from a dead sheep. 

F. mortelane, from L. mortui lanum. 
MORNING, s. The first part of the day. G. 

morni, morgan, S. marne, D.morgen, T. mor gen; 

see Or, soon, early. 
MORPHEW, s. A disorder of the skin, appearing 



in tawny spots. L. B. morphea, Port, morphea, 
It. morfea. 

MORRIS-DANCE, s. A Moorish dance. 

MORROW, s. The day after the present. T. 
morgen; see Morning. The morrow, or to- 
morrow, corresponds with the F. demain, from 
L. de mane. 

MORSE, s. The river horse. G. mar, the sea, and 
ors, a horse. It appears to be confounded some- 
times with marox, the sea ox. The F. marsouin, 
a porpoise, is G. marsuin, the sea swine. 

MORSEL, s. A mouthful, a bit, a small quantity. 
F. morceau, morcelle, from L. morsus, a bite. 

MORT, s. 1. A tune at the death of game, called 
also a moor. L. mors, F. mort. 
2. A great quantity, a heap. G. margt, murth, 
S. mcerth, T. merheit. G. morgtal, a great 
number, vulgarly a mortal deal; see More 
and Tale. 

MORTAR, s. 1 . A strong vessel wherein materials 
are pounded to pieces. L. mortarium, F. mortier. 

2. What is beaten in a mortar, a mixture of 
lime and sand with water, to cement stones or 
bricks. F. mortier. 

3. A short wide cannon, out of which bombs 
are thrown. F. mortier, from its resembling 
the vessel used in pounding materials. 

MORTGAGE, s. A dead pledge, a security. F. 
mortgage ; from L. mortuus, and Gage. 

MORTISE, s. A joint in wood, a term in joinery. 
F. mortals, Arm. murtase, W. mortais, I. moirtis; 
from L. mordeo. 

MORTL1NG, s. The wool of a dead sheep ; see 
Morling. 

MORTMAIN, s. An inalienable estate. F. main 
morte, L. manus mortua. An estate in dead 
hand ; that is, made over to a guild or corpora- 
tion, whence it cannot be alienated. 

MOSAIC, s. Variegated work with jewels, glass 
or shells. F. mosaique, It. mosaico, supposed to be 
from Mtxnxoi?, skilful, beautiful ; but G. nioskue, 



MOT 



MOU 



D. maske, T. mocsch, W. masg, Arm. viaisk, all 

signify, like L. macula, reticulated or spotted 

work; see Mesh. 
MOSCHETTO, s. A gnat. Port, moschetto, from 

mosca, L. musca. 
MOSK, Mosque, s. A Mahometan temple. A. 

masjid, F. mosque, It. moschia. 
MOSS, s. 1 . A substance growing on trees and 

stones. Isl. moss, B. mosch, Swed. mossa, T. 

moos, F. mousse, L. viuscus. 

2. A bog, the substance of which peat is made. 

Swed. mossa, T. mosz, I. maoth, have the same 

purport, and appear to be morass, with the r 

omitted; see Marsh. 
MOST, s. Greatest in size, number, quality, or 

quantity. G. mest, maust, S. mcest, Swed. mest, T. 

meist, B. meest, the superlative of much and of 

M. G. maiza, more, corresponding with fj.syi r ^. 

The T. merest, used as most, is probably the 

right word; see More and Mast. 
MOT, forMouGHT or Might. S. mot, B. moet ; 

see May. 
MOTE, s. 1. A small particle. G. mio, mith, S. 

mot, Swed. mot, I. miot ,- see Mite. 

2. Used in composition, as an assembly or meet- 
ing. G. mot, Swed. mote, S. mot; see To 
Meet. 

3. A ditch ; see Moat. 

MOTH, s. A small insect that eats cloth. S. 

moth, T. tnotte, B. mot, Swed. maett; see Mad. 
MOTHER, s. 1. She who has borne a child. P. 

madur, Sans, mata, matri, Hind, mattara, G. 

moder, D. moder, Swed. moder, T. mutter, B. 

moeder, moer, pim^, L. mater, It. Sp. madre, 

1. mathawr. 

2. Scum, lees of liquors. B. modder, Swed. 
mudder, T. moder ; see Mud. 

MOTION, s. The act of tnoving; a proposal. 

L. motio, F. motion, It. moziowe. 
MOTIVE, s. The cause of the action. L. mo*«s, 

It. fltotiw, F. motif. 



MOTLEY or MOTLY, a. Mixed, speckled ; see 
Medley. 

MOTTO, s. A short sentence prefixed. M£6o 5 , L. 
mutus, It. motto, F. wio£, a word. 

MOVE, t7. To put in motion, to walk, to pro- 
pose. L. moveo, F. mouvoir. 

MOULD, s. 1. A kind of fur, or discolour, fus- 
tiness. M. G. malo, D. mull, rust, smut, foul- 
ness in corn; G. mal, S. mal, Swed. mal, a 
spot, a stain. 

2. Earth, soil, loam. G. moal, mold, Swed. 
mould, S. mo&Z, dust, ashes, small cinders. 

3. A kind of ulcer, a kibe. Swed. moegel, D. 
muel, F. mule. 

4. A form, a cast, a model. F. moule, Sp. 
molde, from L. modulus. 

MOULDWARP, s. A mole. G. moldwarp, S. 
wioZd weorp, that throws up mould. 

MOULT, v. a. To shed the feathers; anciently 
written mowt, from mue. 

MOUND, s. A fence, a bank of earth. G. mund, 
defence, protection, Swed. mynda, S. mundian, 
to defend. L. munitus, fortified. The word is 
confounded with mount. 

MOUNT, s. A hill, a small eminence. L. mons, 
F. mont, It. Sp. and Port, monte, have not only 
our signification, but also a heap, store, hoard, 
or bank of money. The vulgar expression of 
" a mint of money," properly signifies a mount 
of money. 

MOUNTEBANK, 5. A quack, a stage doctor; 
literally one who mounts a bench to sell medi- 
cines. F. montabanc. 

MOURN, v. a. To grieve, bewail, wear black. 
Sans, maran, to die, M. G. mournan, T. mornen, 

5. murnan, L. moeror, to grieve, F. morne, 
melancholy. 

MOUSE, s. 1. A small quadruped. Sans, mashi, 
moosa. P. mush, i*£s, L. mus, D. muus, B. muis, 
Swed. mus, S. mus, T. maus, a species of small 
rat. Sans, mush, signifies steal, \mu, to conceal, 



MUC 



MUG 



2. A small bird, a finch, a titmouse. P. mush, 
Swed. mes, D. muse, B. musch, mus, S. mase, F. 
mesange ; a general name for small birds ; see 
Musket Hawk. 

MOUTH, s. The aperture in the head where food 
is received, a distortion of that feature, a grimace, 
an entrance. Hind, munh, G. mun, munth, 
Swed. mun, T. mund, B. mond, M. G. munths, 
S. muth, Arm. muzz, Scotch mow, F. moue. 
The word appears to originate from G. in, int, 
an entrance; whence G. minn, Swed. mynne, 
myning, an orifice, an opening inward; and G. 
mund, mynd, like L. os, signified the countenance; 
see Mien, Mine, and Mint. 

MOW, s. A heap of hay or corn. S. mowe, muha, 
muga, muega, Scotch moch, apparently the same 
with our much ; Isl. mocka, to heap, is from G. 
auka, to increase. 

MOW, v. a. 1. To cut down or reap; G. maltha, 
meida, D. meye, Isl. maa, B. maayen, T. mahen, 
S. mawan, kpaa, L. meto. 
2. To raise in mows ; from the noun. 

MUCH, a. Large, long in time, many. P. mih, 
Sans, maha, and ^£y«? signified great ; G. mik, 
miuk, mug, Isl. mioc, Swed. mike, T. mich, S. 
my cell, Polish moc, Sclav, moech, Arm. myg, 
many, great. The G. auk, eyk, signified in- 
crease, augmentation, to which ma, more, 
may have been prefixed ; see Mow. The 
resemblance of Sp. muchu to our word, arises 
from the corrupt pronunciation of L. multus. 

MUCH), a. Slimy, mouldy, musty. L. mucidus. 

MUCK, s. 1. Dung for manure, dirt. G. my k, 
Swed. mok, S. moec, meox, D. moeg. G. eyk, 
Swed. ok, whence our ox, signified beasts of 
labour in general ; to which mow, a heap, seems 
to have been prefixed, to express a heap of 
dung made my cattle ; see Mixen. 
2. The vulgar pronunciation of amok, a Malay 
word, which signifies slaughter. It denotes a 



state of desperation, where the person wishes to 
kill or be killed ; see Mate. 

MUCKENDER, Muckador, s. A dirty handker- 
chief. Sp. mocadero, F. mouchoir, from L. 
mucus, snot. 

MUCKER, a. 1. Dark, obscure. Swed. morkur ; 
see Murk. 

2. Concealed, clandestine, hidden. Swed. 
mjugg, T. mauger, from mauchen, to conceal, 
G. smuga, to smuggle; see Miche. 

3. Usurious, penurious, hoarding, sordid. 
Scotch muker, O. E. muckre. Isl. mocka, to 
heap, as well as our word mow, a heap, and 
much, is formed from G. auka, to increase; 
whence also Swed. ocker, T. wucher, interest, 
usury. 

MUD, s. Wet, dirt, mire. G. mod, Swed. modd, 

mudder, B. maed, modder, T. moder, mire, filth, 

scum ; cognate with {/.u<W, L. madeo, and W. 

mwydo; see Moat! 
MUDDLE, v. a. 1. To make half drunk. Mt/0w>; 

see Mead. 

2. To toil, fatigue, drudge. G. modila, from 

mod, mctd, Swed. matt ; see Moil. 
MUD WALL, s. A bird ; see Modwall. 
MUE, v. To cast feather, to moult, to shed, to 

dung, a term in venery ; see Mew. 
MUFF, s. A warm cover for the hands. D. muffe, 

Swed. muff, T. muff, B. moff, F. mouffle ; sup- 
posed to be from mouth, but probably from G. 

hufa, Swed. huf, a veil, hood or covering ; 

Swed. hufa, Scotch hap, to cover or conceal ; 

see Mob. 
MUFFIN, s. A small loaf of fine flour. F. miche, 

fine; see Manchet. 
MUFFLE, s. 1. A mouth, a cheek. G. maugle, 

Swed. mule, T. muff, maule, D. muule, B. muile, 

F. moufie, the mouth. 

2. A mouth cover, in chymistry. F. moufie. 
MUG, s. A cup to drink out of. G. miots, Swed. 
G 



MUM 



MUR 



nwet, B. mutsie, a measure, a quart ; Scotch 

mutchkin; see to Mete. 
MUGGER, a. Clandestine ; see Mucker and 

Smuggle. 
MUGGY", a. Misty, damp, moist. P. migh, a 

cloud, Isl. mugga, Scotch mochy, foggy. 
MUG WORT, s. A species of wormwood ; fromT. 

and Scotch mach, mauk, a worm, and wort, 

corrupted into wood in wormwood. 
MULATTO, s. One begotten between a black 

and a white. From mule. 
MULBERRY, s. A tree and its fruit; properly 

murberry, from L. morus, F. meure, T. maulbeere. 
MULCT, s. A fine of money. L. mulcta. 
MULE, s. An animal generated between a horse 

and an ass. L. mulus, F. mulet. 
MULL, v. a. To warm liquor with sugar and spice. 

L. mollio. 
MULLAR, s. A stone to grind colours. T. muhler, 

a grinder ; se Mill . 
MULLET, s. 1. The name of a fish, a barbel. 

Miwi®-, L. mullus, F. mulet. 

2. In heraldry, a star denoting a fourth son. F. 

molette, a little mill, which it resembles ; from 

L. mola. 
MULLIGRUBS, s. A twisting of the guts, the 

iliac passion, sullenness. Mvfy and Tgvfy. 
MULTI. A Latin prefix signifying many. 
MULTURE, s. A toll for grinding corn. L. mo- 

litura. 
MUM, inter] . Hush ; a word used by people when 

masked. B. mom, F. momon • see Mumm. 
MUM, s. Wheat ale. D. mumme, T. mumme, B. 

mom, F. mum, from L. mustum; see Must. 
MUMBLE, v. 1 . To speak inwardly or indistinct- 
ly; from Mumm. 

2. To grumble or mutter. G. maugla, Swed. 
mumla, to mouth ; see Muffle. 

3. To mouth, to turn about with the tongue or 
lips ; see Mump. 

MUMM, v. n. To frolic in disguise, to wear a 



mask. M&ijiisojiAat, from which is derived Momus, 

the God of jest. 
MUMMY, s. An embalmed corpse. A. and P. 

momiya, from mom, wax, L. mumia, F. momie. 
MUMP, v. a. To nibble, bite quick, speak low 

and quick, to repeat over and over like a beggar, 

to beg. From mow, the mouth ; see Mumble and 

Mouth. 
MUMPS, s. pi. 1 . A swelling in the jaws, throat 

and mouth ; from Mow and Muffle, the mouth. 

2. Sullenness, the projection of the mouth in 

ill humour. 
MUNCH, MAUNCH, MOUNCH,u.«. To chew 

quickly, to eat fast. F. manger from L. mando. 
MUND, s. Protection, safety, peace, law. G. 

mund, protection, S. mundian, to defend. 
MUNDANE, a. Belonging to the world. L.mun- 

danus, F. mondane. 
MUNDIC, s. A kind of marcasite. W. mwndig, 

from mwn, a mine. 
MUNDIFY, v. a. To cleanse, purify. From L. 

mundus r clean, and facere, to make. 
MUNERARY, a. Relating to a gift. L. munera- 

rius. 
MUNS. The face. G. mun, mund, the mouth ; 

mynd, the countenance ; see Mouth Tand Mien. 
MURDER, s. The act of killing unlawfully. P. 

moorg, Sans, murt, G. mord, Swed. mord, T. 

mord, (aoqoi;, L. mors, F. mort, It. morto, W. mar- 

waidd, death ; Sclav, murha, Sans, mara, slain ; 

P. murda, a corpse ; G . morder, maurther, Swed. 

mordare, S. morder, B. moorder, I. mortair, F. 

meurtre, slaughter, homicide. 
MURE, v. a. To wall, to inclose with walls. F. 

murer, It. murare, fromL. murus. 
MURIATIC, a. Briny, salt like brine. From L. 

muria. 
MURK. J)arkness; see Mirk. 
MURRAIN, *. A plague among cattle. A. murz, 

prawns, a distemper ; S. morrina, F. marrane, 

a pining or melancholy. 



MUS 



MYR 



MURRE, s. A cormorant. W. morvran, the sea 
crow. 

MURREY or MURREL, a. Darkly red, a dark 
brown colour. It. morello, from L. morus, a 
mulberry ; G. mor, red brown. 

MURTH OF CORN ; see Moet, a great quantity. 

MUSCADINE, s. A kind of sweet grape, a sweet 
wine, a kind of pear, a confection : F. musca- 
din, It. muscatello, from L. moschatus, a nutmeg, 
any thing of that flavour. 

MUSCLE, 5. 1. A shell fish. L. musculus, F. 
mousle, moule. 

2. A fleshy fibre. L. musculus, It. musculo, F. 
muscle. 

MUSE, v. n. To ponder, think closely. F. muser, 
B. muysen. Mao-a from pa.u, to inquire, ap- 
proaches our word in meaning. 

MUSHROOM, s. A spongy plant, Met. an up- 
start. F. mousseron, from ^Ik-k and u^u^oc. 

MUSIC, s. The science of melody and harmony. 
Ms<ri>t»), L. musica, It. musica, F. musique. 

MUSK, s. A strong perfume. A. mooshk,Y.mushk, 
/iaoVx©-, L. muscus, It. musco, F. muse. 

MUSKET, s. A soldier's hand gun. It. moschetto, 
F. mechette, a matchlock, from MiW, L. wiyra, 
a match. 

2. A male sparrow hawk ; from mouse, a spar- 
row; see Merlin and Mouse. 

MUSKIN, s. A titmouse; see Mouse. 

MUSLIN, s. A kind of cotton cloth. L B. mus- 
colinum, F. mousselin, Sp. musolino It may 
however be L. muscilinum, moss linen, as it is 
still called in Germany, nettle cloth. 

MUSSULMAN, s. A believer ; among the Ma- 
hometans. A. muslimon, from eslam, salvation. 

MUST, s. Wine unfermented, wort. L. mustum, 
S. must, F. moik, moust ; see Mum. 

MUST, v. To make or grow mouldy. L. muscito, 
muscesco, F. moisir. 

MUST, v. imperf. To be obliged to. S. most, mot, 
T. rnussen, from the same root with our viay ; 



and the Danes use maae for our may and also for 
must. The G. muna, and Scotch mas are cog- 
nates. 

MUSTACHES or MUSTACHOES, s. pi. Whis- 
kers, hair on the upper lip. MiV«!, Sp. mus- 
tacho, F. moustache. 

MUSTARD, s. A seed, plant and flower. It. mos- 
tardo,~E. moustarde, W.mwstard, Sp. mostaza; 
supposed to be L. mustum ardens. 

MUSTER, v. a. To review, to assemble. It.mo- 
strare, Sp.mostrar, from L. monstrare. 

MUSTY, a. Mouldy, spoiled with dampness. L. 
mucidus, It. mucido. 

MUTE, a. Dumb, silent, speechless. L. mutus, 
F. muet. 

MUTE, v. n. To change, to shed, to dung as 
birds. L. mutare, It. mutare, F. muter; see 
Mew. 

MUTILATE, v. a. To deprive of some essential 
part. Ti.mutilo. 

MUTINOUS, a. Opposing lawful authority, se- 
ditious. F. mutin, from L. motus, commotion. 

MUTTER, v. To murmur, to grumble. L. muttio, 
from mutus, //.DS®-, F. mot, a word ; sometimes 
perhaps the frequentative of To Mouth. 

MUTTON, s. The flesh of a sheep, but properly 
of a wether. F. mouton, Arm. mout, W. molt, 
I. moltin, from L. mutilatus, castrated. 

MUTUAL, a. Acting in return, reciprocal. L. 
mutualis, F. mutuel. 

MUZZLE, s. The mouth, a fastening for the 
mouth. Arm. muzzel,'F. museau, It. muso, Sp. 
bozal, I. busial ; the intermutations of m and 
b were frequent ; see Mouth. 

MYOLOGY, s. The doctrine of the muscles, 
from ^vu» and hi>y<&. 

MYRIAD, s. The number of ten thousand. 

MYRMIDON, s. A constable, a soldier. Uv^m. 
MYRRH, *. A strong, aroL atic gum A. moor, 
pvppu, L. myrrha, F. myrrhe. 



MYR MYT 

MYRTLE, s. A fragrant, ever-green shrub. Mt5j- secrets of which were revealed only to the ini- 

To?, L. myrtus, F. myrte. tiated. 

MYSTERY, s. Something sacredly obscure, a MYTHOLOGY,*. A system of heathen worship. 

secret, a trade. Mvrv^ov, L. mysterium, F. mys- MtfioAoyia, from {/.via and ho\oy\a,, to initiate or 

tere. It properly signified a trade or art, the instruct in theology. 



London : Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. 
Cleveland-row. St. James's. 



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